Enchantments and Other Magic
by ssirius-blackk
Summary: What started out as another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for many students, turned into a whirlwind of trouble as accidental encounters become something more, typical school drama occurs, and the reappearance of a long-feared villian comes to light. Inspired by the Disney at Hogwarts art series by Eira1893 on deviantArt.
1. September First

**[Edited 10/2015]**

_A/N: _A _HUGE_ thank you to HobbitLover4eva for suggesting and encouraging this story! It wouldn't have happened without you.

While this is, in essence, a Beauty and the Beast fan fic, other Disney characters will make appearances as well. Also, I used the Harry Potter wiki as my primary source of information: if there are any discrepancies, please let me know and I'll get to work fixing it!

All Disney characters belong to Disney. The world of Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

{September 1st}

A tall, handsome young man with dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes looked around the train platform with disdain. Ever since he was eleven years old and had first received his acceptance letter, making the trip to King's Cross was one of tiresome annoyance. It was always too loud and too crowded for the young wizard's taste.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he changed his focus to making sure that all of his trunks and his owl's cage was there. Naturally, his overly efficient house-elf Cogsworth had packed and labelled everything accordingly. He absentmindedly ran his fingers over the gold embellished initials "A.D.L.B", which he knew stood for Adam de la Bête.

Adam looked up to the sound of an incoming train. He watched the large red locomotive approach the platform. He sighed heavily, turning around to say goodbye to his guardian Forte only to see that he had already Disapparated. He couldn't say that he was surprised. Forte wasn't one for sentiments, or for sticking around longer than necessary. Adam gave his trolley to the attendant, reached for his owl Armen's cage and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

He walked through the train car, looking for an empty compartment when someone ran straight into him.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." the person, a girl from the sounds of it, apologized.

Adam looked down into a pair of large brown eyes. Wavy brown hair framed the delicate heart-shaped face of a young girl.

They stared at each other for a long time before Adam glared and waved her off. He side stepped the girl - a 4th or 5th year, from what he could guess - and continued his search.

Finally, he found one. Adam stored the bag he was carrying above the seat, set his owl's cage down and then sat down next to the window.

The platform was starting to thin out, only doting parents and their younger children remained. Soon, the final whistle blew and the train started to move.

Looking out the window, Adam allowed his thoughts to wander in the quiet compartment. He thought about Quidditch, his classes, his family, but he mostly thought about the girl that ran into him. She was beautiful, with her soft features and slight figure. He remembered seeing her clutch a book tightly to her chest.

_Must be in Ravenclaw,_ he thought to himself, _probably thinks that she's smarter than everyone, too._

Adam shook his head. He had no idea where that thought came from, or who this girl was, but he knew that she was a kind soul. He had known when he was looking into her eyes, saw the sincerity when she had apologized.

A loud crash and laughing voices interrupted Adam's musings. He turned back towards the sliding door to see four of his fellow house and Quidditch team mates.

They filed into the compartment, their voices lowered when they saw who was sitting in the corner. Three of the boys shifted nervously, while the fourth seemed unperturbed by the change in atmosphere.

"Adam! Long time, no see!" Gaston Hunt, a tall, strapping, dark haired and blue eyed grunt of a seventeen year old, bellowed.

"Gaston," he greeted stiffly. "Hans, Naveen, Flynn." he acknowledged with a nod to the others. They returned the gesture.

Everyone put away whatever carry-on luggage they had and sat down. They immediately restarted whatever conversation they were having earlier.

Adam continued to sit quietly by the window, ignoring the unwanted guests, occasionally glancing at Gaston with contempt. Well, at least _one_ person was unwanted, if he was being honest with himself.

Naveen Maldonia, a fifth year and one of the team's Chasers, nudged his elbow into Adam's arm.

"So, how was your summer, Adam?" he asked in his thick accent.

"Uneventful." Adam replied.

"Really? Well then, you should have come with me, Flynn and my family. We traveled to America -"

Adam stopped listening at that point. He'd heard it all before: the wealthy son of a very noble pure blood family spending his summers abroad, playing some sort of musical instrument and making _many_ female friends. But his partner in crime, Flynn Rider, a fifth year Chaser and orphan of truly unknown origins, stole from whomever he felt like and beguiled the women with equal fervor as Naveen. So, naturally, the two became friends the moment they met back in their first year.

And then there was Hans South-Isles, a sixth year who constantly complained about being the thirteenth son in his equally large pure blood family. Yet, he knew how to get people to trust him, to change his personality just enough to get what he wanted.

Despite all of their annoying endeavors, those three Adam could tolerate. Gaston, however, was the _least_ tolerable of the group.

Gaston Hunt had been his nemesis for as long as either could remember. Even when they were briefly "best friends" their first year at Hogwarts, it hadn't been a true friendship. Their families had always despised each other, and the two young men had naturally followed suite.

But even if their families hadn't been involved, Adam knew he would have hated Gaston anyway. Gaston was narcissistic, rude, and utterly inconsiderate. Adam was many of those things even, if he never admitted to it, but to see it in another person was...distasteful.

A few minutes later, the compartment door slid open again. Adam had to stifle his groan, turning his back to see who else came in. Malinda Ficient and Jasmine Aziz walked in, carrying their luggage and their pets rested on their shoulders. The two girls greeted everyone and sat down.

Jasmine, a fifth year Slytherin and the Quidditch team's Seeker, came from an Arabian pure blood family. Adam always felt that she was too kind hearted for Slytherin, but after joining the team as their best seeker in nearly 20 years, she proved to be utterly cunning. Her ruthlessness and cleverness helped them beat Gryffindor more times than they could count. Adam, being the team captain, considered having her become the new captain next year. Her miniature tiger Rajah glared and hissed at him, as usual. Adam glared right back.

Sitting across from him, Malinda sat gracefully, her crow Diaval hopped down and rested on her crossed legs. She stroked his head and stared at Adam thoughtfully.

Malinda Ficient was probably the closest thing to royalty that the wizarding world probably had, at least in Europe. Her family, though never actually having worked in any of the European ministries, always had a hand in the law making and other aspects. Malinda was intelligent, cunning, and deceptive, not to mention one of the most talented witches Hogwarts had ever seen. Naturally, she became a Prefect and now Head Girl.

"Adam, dear, so lovely to see you," she greeted him, a serene smile appeared on her face. "How was your summer?" she asked politely.

"Uneventful." Adam repeated stiffly.

The way she stared at him, though, reminded him that Mal has always been able to see right through him.

"Such a pity." Malinda said.

He nodded in reply and went back to staring out the window at the passing landscape.

Adam couldn't wait for this school year to be over.

* * *

Belle French rushed through the train car, trying to get back to her friends and the compartment they managed to secure. She had accidentally left her book with her father. Maurice French chuckled when he saw his daughter search for him frantically. Belle gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she ran back to the train.

As she ran, she was so focused on the book in her hand that she didn't notice anyone until she ran head-on into the solid chest of someone very tall.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." she started to apologize, before trailing off. As she babbled, her eyes slowly rose to meet with the bright blue ones of her unintentional victim.

They stared at each other for a long time. She recognized him almost immediately: Adam de la Bête, the son of a very prestigious pure blood family, captain and Keeper of the Slytherin Quidditch team, as well as one of the most handsome, rudest people in the entire school.

It was just her luck to run into the infamous seventh year.

Suddenly, his soft stare turned into a glare and made a show of walking around her. Belle gaped, her eyes boring into his retreating back. It was one thing to not accept her apology, but to glare at her? _That_ was completely uncalled for. He really was as rude as everyone said.

Belle sighed, and then continued on her way, this time paying more attention to where she was going.

It turned out to be a fruitless effort when she, yet again, ran into someone with an equally as solid chest. Belle was just about to apologize when she looked up and instead she stifled a groan.

"Ah, Belle! So lovely to see you again!" Gaston greeted, a self-satisfied smile forming on his lips.

"Hello, Gaston," she mumbled.

Gaston threw his arm around her and started to guide her in the opposite direction.

"Why don't you come and sit with me and my friends?" he suggested.

"M-maybe some other time..." Belle tried to say.

Gaston simply ignored her and just kept talking about whatever it was he did over the summer. Try as she might, she just couldn't get away from him.

"Belle! I was just looking _everywhere _for you!" someone shouted behind them.

Belle looked over her shoulder and smiled in relief. Rapunzel Germaine ran towards the two and grabbed Belle's arm.

"So sorry, Gaston, but she already promised us her presence, so we must dash!" Rapunzel babbled, stealthily leading Belle away from the confused oaf of a Slytherin.

As soon as they were far and away from him, Belle threw her arms around her fellow Ravenclaw and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Rapunzel," Belle said.

"Oh, no thanks are needed," Rapunzel returned the hug. She released her hold and grabbed Belle's hand. "C'mon, everyone is waiting!"

Belle laughed and allowed herself to be dragged by the golden haired, green eyed fourth year.

Belle could hardly believe the quick change from shy, quiet, and timid little girl from a wealthy Muggle family to the confident, vocal young lady Rapunzel had become. Belle had a feeling it was thanks to that Slytherin boy, Flynn Rider, who had unintentionally taken Rapunzel under his wing after she accidentally attacked him with a (mysteriously acquired) frying pan. That same day, he calmly explained to her that one of the Gryffindor sixth years Merida Dunbroch was _not_ a raging, evil fire spirit. Ever since then, they had been thick as thieves.

They reached the end of the car and entered a compartment. Rapunzel slammed open the sliding door, her hands on her hips and legs spread apart. The occupants jumped at the sound of their arrival.

"I found Belle!" she announced proudly.

"Oh, good! Did you get your book?" Jane Porter, a fifth year Ravenclaw like Belle, asked.

Belle nodded, holding up the worn leather cover that she found hidden in a dark, dusty corner of Flourish and Blotts. She and Rapunzel walked into the compartment and sat down closest to the door. Jane smiled and nudged their friend Milo Thatch's foot.

"Milo! Belle has the book she was telling us about," she said.

Milo looked up from his Ancient Runes translations. He stared at Jane for a moment before his eyes brightened in excitement.

"You found it? Can I look at it, please?" he asked, setting his own book and journal down to examine Belle's book. Unfortunately, they landed right on his girlfriend Kida Nedakh's head. The Gryffindor seventh year groaned a protest and gently slapped his chest. Milo mumbled an apology as he rapidly scanned the pages of the book. Kida rolled her eyes and went back to her nap.

Everyone chuckled as they watched the young fifth year scholar study the old text. He had become rather infamous in the Ravenclaw common room as the most intensely studious of the house. Many had affectionately started calling Milo the "Man of Letters" because of his obvious affection for foreign languages. Not that anyone was really surprised; his grandfather was a famous historian within the wizarding world. To anyone with eyes, it also explained his attraction and eventual relationship to the foreign exchange student, Kida, who also had an ear for different languages.

"Where's Elsa?" Belle wondered out loud.

"She said she was going to sit with Anna. I think she's trying to spend some more time with her sister before she has to run their family's business," Jane answered.

Belle nodded again, but Jane didn't notice. She had her head bent down as she concentrated on her current sketch. By the looks of it, it was yet another portrait of her boyfriend, Tarzan Burroughs (also a seventh year Gryffindor). The subject in question was in a crouching position and looking out the window at the rapidly passing scenery.

Tarzan and Jane first met the summer he received his acceptance letter. He was stranded in the jungles of Africa as a young boy when his parents were killed by a mysterious, dark creature known by the locals as "Sabor". Jane's father, Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, was a consultant for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, who had many theories on African magical creatures. It was whilst exploring the dense jungles that they inadvertently ran into Tarzan. After spending some time with him and reintroducing him to society, his letter arrived. He had always shown a talent for magic, and going to Hogwarts was a wonderful opportunity, though it meant being apart from Jane until she received her letter.

After a few moments of silence, Belle was just about to start a conversation with Rapunzel when the compartment door slid open again. A messy head of blond hair peeked out, followed by a pair of blue eyes and a nervous smile.

"Um, can I sit with you guys? Everywhere else is full..." the little boy asked.

"Of course! Please, come in," Belle said with a reassuring smile.

The boy's smile widened, and he quickly entered the compartment, plopping himself right next to the pretty brunette. Rapunzel giggled, ignoring the glare from Belle as she started to braid her hair.

"I don't think I've seen you around before, is this your first year?" Belle enquired.

He nodded in confirmation, wringing his fingers nervously.

"My name is Belle French. What's yours?" she pressed on, and reached out her hand for a handshake.

"Christopher Potts, but everyone calls me Chip," the eleven year old answered, shaking her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Chip," she said. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Madam Potts, the school nurse?"

Chip nodded again. "She's my mama."

Belle smiled, and continued asking questions of Chip. Although she tried to focus on the boy, her mind couldn't help but wander to Adam. Although she only knew him by reputation, she wanted to know more about him. Just having looked into his eyes, she _knew_ there was more to him than met the eye.


	2. The Sorting Hat's Prophecy

_**A/N: **_Because I don't have J.K. Rowling's talent for coming up with Sorting Hat songs, I used the one from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (a.k.a the fifth H.P. book). The song belongs to her and her alone, I don't claim a single line.

Also, I know that Wednesday Addams is NOT a Disney character, but, again, I couldn't come up with a character whose last name started with an "A".

[Edited: November 1, 2015]

* * *

"I wonder what we're going to learn this year? Is Professor Hercules still there? Oh, look at those trees! I've _never_ seen those before!" Anna Arendelle babbled.

Her sister Elsa and boyfriend Kristoff Iceman exchanged humored glances. Ever since Anna's first year at Hogwarts, she had asked the same questions and made some random observation about the passing landscape.

Anna eventually sat back in her seat. She looked around her and decided to observe her current surroundings.

Snow White, her adorable friend and fellow fourth year Hufflepuff, was sitting closer to the door with her boyfriend Florian Noble, a fifth year Hufflepuff and a chaser for the Quidditch team. Anna always felt that Snow was one of the more delicate, graceful people in the entire school, besides Elsa. She had a gentle beauty and endless kindness that attracted people, most especially Florian. She supposed it made sense, since her family came from an old German pure blood family, same as Florian.

Across from them, Ella Cinder, also a fourth year Hufflepuff chatted with Tiana Smith, a fifth year Hufflepuff. Ella lived with her muggle stepmother and stepsisters until she got her letter and found out that her late mother had been witch. That was also when she found out that she had an elderly godmother, her mother's aunt, who was supposed to gain custody of her after her father died, but her stepmother had refused to acknowledge that part of her late second husband's past.

Tiana also came from a muggle family, an especially poor one. Her father, though hardworking and very loving, could barely make ends meet and later died in a war. Her mother was a seamstress and Tiana helped her, though her real dream was to open a restaurant, just as her father did before. Despite getting her letter, she had not given up on that dream, telling everyone that cooking and magic are not so different. Her hard work, passion and endless patience made her like a mother to many Hufflepuffs.

Anna looked back at Elsa and Kristoff, who were quietly sitting and looking out the window.

"Elsa, why aren't you sitting with Belle and those guys?" Anna wondered out loud.

Elsa looked back at her sister and gave her a small smile.

"I'm probably not going to see you for most of the year, except during the school breaks, so I'm trying to spend as much time with you as I can," she answered.

Anna tilted her head and considered her sister. As she thought about it, the realization hit her with full force. Her eyes filled with tears and she leapt straight at Elsa, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister's neck. Elsa froze for a moment before returning the hug.

Kristoff, though appreciating the sweet moment between the two Arendelle sisters, coughed loudly to let them know that the moment was lasting a little _too_ long.

Anna and Elsa pulled away quickly, just as the train arrived at the Hogsmeade station.

Everyone in the compartment stood up and started to file out. Elsa gently laid a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. He looked down and raised an eyebrow. Elsa held up a finger, closed the door shut again and turned back to him.

"Kristoff, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of Anna," Elsa stated. "After our parents died last year, I won't be able to look out for her like I normally would. Especially since I'll be too busy with school and getting settled with our family's business. You're the only person I can trust with Anna. Can you do that for me?"

Kristoff stared at her for a while, before giving her a half smile and nodded.

"I promise, Elsa." he said confidently.

The seventh year Ravenclaw smiled and gave the sixth year a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you." she whispered. She then turned around and left the compartment. Kristoff followed behind.

* * *

With an angry sigh, Merida Dunbroch pushed back her wild red hair and stormed off to the Great Hall. The stupid Fat Lady wouldn't let her in because she wanted to show off her awful singing voice, which caused Merida to be late for the feast.

As soon as she reached the doors to the Great Hall, she stopped. Going in angry was _not_ going to help, no matter what she felt. Merida took a deep breath, then pushed open the doors.

Luckily, the sorting ceremony hadn't started yet, so she strode in with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Quickly scanning the room, she spotted her friend Aladdin Ali waving at her. She walked quickly towards the Gryffindor table, painfully aware that Professor Jafar was watching her, just waiting for the chance to take away house points before the school year even started.

"You're just in time; Professor Odie is still giving the first years the Sorting run-down," Aladdin explained in a whisper.

"I can only imagine what the boys are doing to her. I hope she hasn't gotten _too_ angry at my brothers already," she admitted, also in a whisper.

Aladdin lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you mention that Odie outsmarts _everybody_?"

Merida gave him a mischievous grin.

"I only told them that she's old and blind." she said.

They snickered until somebody bumped their elbow into Merida's side. She turned around, ready to call them out, until she saw Ariel Finn look pointedly at the head table. Merida immediately nudged Aladdin and they both fell silent. A tiny, dark skinned woman with round, black sunglasses, white robes, gold jewelry and an impatient expression aimed at the Gyrffindors, tapped her fingers on her cane. She cleared her throat and readjusted the white turban on her head.

"Now that we have y'all's attention, our Headmistress, Professor Powers, would like to say a few words before we begin the Sorting Ceremony," Professor Odie announced.

The woman sitting at the center of the teacher's table stood up. Her long blonde hair cascaded down the front of her emerald green robe. Despite her apparent youth, the Headmistress was actually older then a majority of the students' grandparents. Professor Powers smiled serenely at the students.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to another year at Hogwarts," she greeted. "First years, I would like you all to know that the Forbidden Forest is just that: forbidden to _all_ students, except in the cases of detentions and Care of Magical Creatures classes. And for all returning students, our caretaker, Mr. Iago, would like me to remind you that the entire sixth floor will remain strictly off-limits, until he and Professor Flora finally clear out the flesh-eating moss, or until the students responsible for placing it there in the first place are found."

Her pale grey eyes scanned the room. Merida saw Naveen Maldonia and Flynn Rider give each other guilty glances. She couldn't help but smirk. She always knew it was those two Slytherins; they were always causing this sort of mischief.

"And now, I shall give the floor to the Sorting Hat. Professor Odie, if you please," Professor Powers sat down.

Professor Odie tapped the raggedy old pointed hat on the stool, then it suddenly burst into life. It quickly formed the shape of a face with the ancient folds, giving a semblance of a deep inhale before it started its song:

"_In times of old, when I was new,_  
_And Hogwarts barely started,_  
_The founders of our noble school_  
_Thought never to be parted. _

_United by a common goal,_  
_They had the selfsame yearning_  
_To make the world's best magic school_  
_And pass along their learning._

_"Together we will build and teach"_  
_The four good friends decided._  
_And never did they dream that they_  
_Might some day be divided._

_For were there such friends anywhere_  
_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_  
_Unless it was the second pair_  
_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_  
_How could such friendships fail?_  
_Why, I was there, so I can tell_  
_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_  
_Whose ancestry's purest."_  
_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_  
_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_  
_With brave deeds to their name."_  
_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot_  
_And treat them just the same."_

_These differences caused little strife_  
_When first they came to light._  
_For each of the four founders had_  
_A house in which they might_

_Take only those they wanted, so,_  
_For instance, Slytherin_  
_Took only pure-blood wizards_  
_Of great cunning just like him._

_And only those of sharpest mind_  
_Were taught by Ravenclaw_  
_While the bravest and the boldest_  
_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest_  
_and taught them all she knew,_  
_Thus, the houses and their founders_  
_Maintained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_  
_for several happy years,_  
_but then discord crept among us_  
_feeding on our faults and fears. _

_The Houses that, like pillars four_  
_had once held up our school_  
_now turned upon each other and_  
_divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_  
_must meet an early end._  
_what with dueling and with fighting_  
_and the clash of friend on friend._

_And at last there came a morning_  
_when old Slytherin departed_  
_and though the fighting then died out_  
_he left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_  
_were whittled down to three_  
_have the Houses been united_  
_as they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_  
_and you all know the score:_  
_I sort you into Houses_  
_because that is what I'm for._

_But this year I'll go further,_  
_listen closely to my song:_  
_though condemned I am to split you_  
_still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_  
_and must quarter every year_  
_still I wonder whether sorting_  
_may not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_  
_the warning history shows,_  
_for our Hogwarts is in danger_  
_from external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_  
_or we'll crumble from within_  
_I have told you, I have warned you..._  
_let the Sorting now begin."_

The students, giving polite applause, murmured quietly amongst themselves, trying to figure out the Sorting Hat's unusually grim tune. Ever since Merida had been in school, the Hat only ever sang light, upbeat and occasionally sarcastic songs.

She looked at Aladdin, who merely shrugged, and at Ariel, who nibbled on her lower lip. She even dared to glance at the teachers' table. They all looked worried, especially Powers.

There were rumors that the Sorting Hat could predict the future, but no one really knew for sure. For all they know, the Hat was feeling rather melancholy this year. But something in Merida's gut told her that the Hat was giving them a warning. Of what, she wasn't sure.

"Now, as I said before, when I call your name, you'll sit on this stool," Odie gestured to the Hat. "I'll place the Sorting Hat on your head, then it will announce the house you have been placed in. Addams, Wednesday!"

For the next hour, names and houses were rattled off. She grimaced when her brothers were called, and had stifled a groan when all three of them were sorted into Gryffindor. Merida just knew that anytime those wee devils tried to cause even a _smidgen_ of trouble, it was going to be on her head.

She could never get away with anything when it came to her family. Ever since she got her acceptance letter five years ago, it had been nothing but pressure. Her parents, Fergus and Elinor, a muggle born and pure blood, respectively, were well known within the wizarding world as incredibly skilled magicians who came from poor beginnings. While she loved and admired her parents, she didn't want to be like her mother, who was a Ministry of Magic official, but instead a Quidditch player like her retired father.

Although it pained her, she had to admit that her life was far easier than Aladdin's. His mother died when he was very young, his father was nowhere to be found, and was therefore left in an orphanage. Aladdin, unsatisfied with his life, ran away when he was 9. He was living on the streets with his pet monkey Abu when he received his letter. Merida first met him on the Hogwarts Express, and the two became fast friends. They even joined the Quidditch team together: she became a chaser and Aladdin became the seeker.

Merida glanced around the table. Next to her was Ariel, her fellow sixth year and red-head. She was the youngest of seven daughters, but the first to join Gryffindor since her parents were in school. Both her late mother and (still living) father came from pure blood families; something her father, sisters and house-elf Sebastian _never_ let her forget. But Ariel was always interested in muggles, which, Merida always thought, explained her attraction to Eric Castle, a muggle born seventh year, who is also a chaser. He was always patient and answered her endless questions about muggles.

Across from Merida was Phillip Drake, a seventh year and chaser sat with two other seventh years (as well as the team's beaters), Lyle Rourke and Helga Sinclair. Merida liked Phillip well enough, he never said or did anything unkind and was always willing to stand up to people, especially when it came to Malinda Ficient. But Rourke and Sinclair...she never quite trusted the two of them.

After the last student was called and sorted, Professor Powers gave some words of encouragement, then ordered the feast to commence. She clapped her hands and food magically appeared on the table.

Everyone dug into the delicious food, and happy chatter filled the air. Merida and Aladdin shared some stories about summer break with Kida Nedakh and Tarzan Burroughs, who had some stories of their own.

Everything was going splendidly well, until a crash at the far end of the Gryffindor table interrupted. Merida looked over Ariel and Eric's heads and stifled yet another groan.

Three curly red heads stood out amongst a sea of broken dishes and tossed food. They had gleeful looks on their faces, not even the least bit guilty.

Merida chanced a glance at the teachers' table. Powers, though her face was emotionless, was clearly upset and Professor Hercules, the History of Magic teacher and head of Gryffindor looked disappointed.

Soon, her brothers, the Gryffindor table, and then every other student started to laugh. Merida banged her head on the table. Aladdin gave a reassuring pat.

This was going to be a _very_ long year for Merida Dunbroch.


	3. The Ravenclaw Girl

**_[Edited: 11/2015]_**

* * *

Adam woke up the next morning feeling groggy and irritable. He wasn't sure why, especially since he had a good night's sleep for once. It wasn't until he reached the Great Hall for breakfast and saw a familiar head of brown hair bent over a book at the Ravenclaw table that he figured out why he was so...unhappy. His dreams had consisted of this nameless, beautiful girl. And the fact that he would probably never have a girl like her hit his subconscious before he was even aware. He clenched his fist and made his way to the Slytherin table.

His back was turned to her in an attempt to ignore the Ravenclaw girl. He piled his plate with food and ate in silence, barely acknowledging the other Slytherins that greeted him. Adam kept his focus on his food. He didn't realize how focused he was until he felt someone hit the back of his head with a rolled up _Daily Prophet_. Adam quietly groaned and turned to glare at Malinda.

"Adam, darling, we have class in less than ten minutes. You've already eaten everything on your plate, so there's no need to keep at it," she scolded. Diaval, who was perched on her shoulder, cawed in agreement.

He stood up and followed Mal, noticing that the Great Hall was nearly empty. The corridors and staircases, however, were filled with students going to and fro, most especially the lost first years, who apparently couldn't tell up from down.

The sea of students immediately parted at the sight of Malinda Ficient and Adam de la Bête. Mal acknowledged the students with a cold nod, while Adam simply looked straight ahead.

Mal and Adam finally reached Professor Lumiere's Charms class.

Of course, they were with Gryffindors.

Both Gryffindor and Slytherin students glared at each other, naturally.

"Now, now, if you are all quite done with attempting to burn each other through sheer will, the class will begin and we have much to work on!" Professor Lumiere announced.

Their French Charms teacher was tall, lean, and (to some) handsome. He always joked that teaching Charms was his destiny because others considered him to be just that: charming. He had a consistent, knowing smile on his face and was constantly beguiling others with his talents.

With absolute silence, the students sat down at their desks, though tension still filled the room.

Professor Lumiere shook his head and immediately outlined the year's course. Since the course was preparing them for their N.E.W.T.s, he warned them that he's going to be particularly rigorous for the next few months.

Adam almost scoffed, until he remembered his Charms exam first year and how he very nearly failed because of his apathy towards the teacher. Over the years he developed a grudging respect for Lumiere.

The teacher explained and demonstrated a few spells they'd be focusing on for the next few weeks, but Adam, though taking notes and paying attention, couldn't keep his entire focus on the lesson. Instead, they drifted to the mysterious Ravenclaw girl.

He recalled seeing a look of recognition in her eyes when she ran into him, letting him know that she knew who he was. It almost frustrated him that he didn't know her. He vaguely recalled Gaston talking about a girl fitting her description, claiming that "one day he's going to marry her". Though Adam personally doubted it, he knew Gaston Hunt was nothing if not blindly determined.

The bell chimed, signaling the end of the class. The students quickly stood up and made their way towards the door, the Gryffindors trying to avoid the Slytherins and vice-versa.

Once again, Adam wandered back into the fray before the students moved out of his way.

After six years of having it happen every time he walked to class, Adam found himself to be bored with it. And maybe, if he was being completely honest with himself, a little annoyed. It was fun at first, knowing that he held a certain amount of power over people, but that slowly dwindled over the years. Sure, he still enjoyed having power and being in control, but not to this public extent.

Ignoring the fearing and loathing students, he quickly walked to his next class.

As he turned a corner, he immediately stopped in his tracks. Further down the corridor, he saw Gaston and the Ravenclaw girl. The giant idiot was slowly walking the girl into the wall as she tried to sidestep him without being rude.

"Gaston, please, I really need to get to my next class," she pleaded.

Adam couldn't believe how daft his fellow Slytherin was. Her body language was so obvious a blind man could see it. But, of course, Gaston completely ignored her.

"Come on, Belle, just say that you'll have lunch with me on the next Hogsmeade visit." Gaston said.

"Like I have said before, I have already made plans." the girl, Belle, sighed.

"Just give me an answer and I'll let you go." he pressed on.

"Gaston, please, I have potions, I really -"

Belle attempted to push him away only to get pushed against the wall. She gasped and Gaston repeated his request. Belle struggled against his hold. Adam could tell she wanted to use magic, but couldn't reach her wand.

Without realizing it, Adam stalked down the corridor towards the two people. When he reached them, he grabbed Gaston's shoulder and shoved him away from Belle. He reached for Belle's arm and led her away from the idiot as quickly as possible.

When they reached an empty staircase, Adam released her arm.

"Th-thank you," she said.

Adam looked down at her, suddenly absorbed by those dark brown eyes. They stared at each other for a long while until he broke contact and stalked away from her.

* * *

Belle stood at the top of the staircase leading to the dungeons dumbfounded. One minute she found herself alone and - once again - trying to reject Gaston's advances, then the next minute, she's been pulled away by one of Hogwarts most enigmatic students. The way Adam de la Bête's hand made her arm tingle, and his blue eyes captured hers for a few brief moments, before he pulled away from her with apparent disgust.

Though her head was still spinning, Belle glanced down at her watch, realizing that she was going to be late. She practically flew down the stairs, and into the Potions classroom just as the bell tolled. She quickly took the only available seat next to Jasmine Aziz. The Slytherin girl smiled reassuringly at Belle, letting her know she welcomed her presence. Belle smiled back gratefully.

Professor Jafar narrowed his eyes at her before beginning the lesson. Belle let out a quiet sigh of relief and immediately focused on the Potions Master's words, lecturing about the many different varieties of venom and their antidotes.

Although she was taking in everything he said, every so often her mind would wander towards the events after her History of Magic lesson.

Belle was walking with Jane and Milo to their next class when Gaston had slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her to an empty corridor.

He spun her around until she faced him. Then he asked her the same "question" he had been asking since she was a third year: "Come have lunch with me at the Three Broomsticks."

And as she did when she was a third year, she politely declined. But the thick-headed Slytherin never gave up. For two years Gaston would corner her whenever the opportunity rose; the Great Hall, in between classes, even in Hogsmeade. His pursuit of her was enough to make her skin crawl and her heart beat heavily with fear. Every time he approached her, it was as if she was nothing more than prey.

The bell rang again, and the students stood and gathered their things. While Belle walked to the door and placed her books in her bag, Jasmine tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, Belle, I was wondering..." Jasmine started to say. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Could you...do you think you could tutor me?"

Belle raised her eyebrows. If there was one thing she knew to be universally true, was that Slytherins were extremely proud and very rarely asked for help - _especially_ from someone in another House. But she also knew that Jasmine must be absolutely desperate.

"What do you need to be tutored in?" Belle asked cautiously.

Jasmine looked around, making sure the other students couldn't hear her. Her dark brown eyes looked straight into Belle's own eyes.

"Everything." she whispered.

Belle raised her eyebrows again. Jasmine gave her a pleading look. Belle eventually found herself agreeing and being hugged to death by the other girl. She had to gently push Jasmine away to get air back in her lungs. Jasmine gave her an apologetic look as they walked out of the dungeons together.

"Do you mind if I ask why you need to be tutored? From what I remember, you've always done well in all of our classes," Belle wondered.

"I'm fine in some classes, yes, but since we have to take O.W.L.s this year, I really need to pass _all _of them," Jasmine began to explain. "You see, my father said that he'll let me travel for a year and not find a fiancé right away to take over our family assets if I do extremely well. Belle, I _have_ to ace those O.W.L.s, otherwise I'll never be free."

Belle nodded in understanding. The two arranged to meet in the library before dinner to go over the lessons and the O. expectations. They parted ways and headed to their respective classes.

* * *

Milo looked up to see Belle sliding into the seat next to him in their Charms class. Noticing the troubled look on her face, he and Jane glanced at her in concern.

"Belle, what happened? Did Gaston bother you again?" Milo asked.

She nodded, removing her books from her bag. Jane gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"You'd think after two years' worth of rejection, he'd learn the word 'no' by now." Jane snorted.

"You would think." Belle agreed.

Jane snickered derisively as she, Milo and Belle pulled out their Charms books.

"I also saw you talking to Jasmine Aziz, what's that about?" Milo wondered.

Belle was about to answer when their teacher called for order, clapping his hands to get their attention.

"_Silence, s'il vous plaît, mes étudiants_; silence, please, my students," Professor Lumiere requested. He immediately started the class.

Throughout the lesson, Milo glanced at Belle. She seemed to be deep in thought, her eyebrows crinkling every so often.

Clearly, Gaston Hunt's "advancements" did not go as it typically would.

Milo's insatiable curiosity and concern for Belle overwhelmed him, but the good student in him prevented any questions from being asked. Instead, he focused on Professor Lumiere and is rolling accent.

Listening to him talk made Milo think of Kida.

Although the rest of the world thought that the city of Atlantis was just a myth, the Wizarding World knew otherwise. The Atlantians were the first to create and utilize shielding spells. They "disappeared" because of some unknown prophecy, basically isolating themselves from history. It wasn't until 20 years ago when Atlantis "reemerged" that they started to integrate themselves back into the world. Diplomacy was officially established when Kidagakash Nedakh, the daughter of the Atlantian Minister of Magic, was accepted into Hogwarts.

When Milo entered school, Kida's reputation preceded her. She knocked heads with everyone she met, especially on the Quidditch field.

Milo had been studying the Atlantian language before his first year and was looking forward to conversing with her. At first, she scared him half to death. Kida had learned that he was building up the courage to talk to her, and she snuck up on him one October afternoon at the library. She immediately started to talk to him in her native tongue, causing him to stutter.

After a while, though, he gained confidence, and they kept up their conversation, changing languages with ease.

Since that day, they'd been inseparable.

A shake of his shoulder brought him out of his reverie. He quickly realized that class was over and he'd missed half of the lesson. Milo looked up to see Belle and Jane standing beside him.

"What is it about today that is making you two so...I don't know, but clearly something is on your minds?" Jane huffed, putting her hands on her hips. Belle and Milo glanced at each other and shrugged.

Jane rolled her eyes, gesturing her hands to the door. Milo stood up and followed the two girls.

"So, are you going to tell us why Jasmine Aziz was talking to you after Potions?" she prompted Belle.

"She asked me to tutor her," Belle answered quietly.

Milo and Jane stopped in their tracks with their mouths hanging open. Belle turned around, giving her two friends a quizzical look.

"What?" she asked.

"Why does she need a tutor?" said Milo.

"Because she wants to pass her O.W.L.s, that's all," she replied. "Before you ask, she is _not_ blackmailing me in anyway. Jasmine just wants a little extra help." she added.

Jane was about to protest when Milo held up a hand. When she turned a glare at him, he simply lifted one shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help, no matter who it is," he stated.

Jane lifted her eyebrows, then softened her expression and nodded. He smiled and gave her shoulder a gentle pat, before walking on ahead.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Jane had run into Tarzan. Milo grinned again and caught up to Belle.

"Judging by the look on your face during both all of Potions and Charms, I'd say that helping out Jasmine is not the only thing on your mind. What happened with Gaston?"

Belle shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

She smiled sadly and walked faster, leaving Milo in the proverbial dust.

_What happened between her and Gaston? _He wondered to himself.


	4. The Full Moon's Secrets

**_[Edited: 11/2015]_**

* * *

"Belle, what happened between you and Gaston?" Elsa asked at dinner.

Belle nearly dropped her spoon in the soup bowl. She kept her focus on her food, even though she was starting to lose her appetite. She wasn't sure why she felt this way; it wasn't as if Gaston bothering her was anything new, but Elsa's tone reminded her of how different her encounter with him today was.

Elsa waited patiently, her cool blue eyes carefully observing her. Belle gulped, more out of nervousness than a need to push down her food.

"Well, as per usual, he cornered me in the hallway after class. He asked me to spend time with him during the next Hogsmeade visit. Only, Gaston was a bit more...aggressive about it. He pushed me against a wall, and then -" she shook her head. "Honestly, it happened so fast, I'm still not sure if it even _did_ happen..."

"What else happened?" Elsa urged.

"You're not going to believe me. _I _don't even believe it!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, and again waited patiently for her friend to continue.

Belle sighed. "After he pushed me, Adam de la Bête came, shoved Gaston aside and dragged me away."

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped.

"Adam de la Bête? As in the boy whose family is the most ancient and influential in the entire wizarding world? Who is also the most spoiled, selfish, and unkind person? _That_ Adam de la Bête?"

Belle nodded, and went back to eating her dinner. This certainly wasn't what she wanted to discuss at all.

Thankfully, the seventh year left her alone, at least for a little while as the information sunk in. Elsa was quiet and apparently deep in thought.

"I wonder what possessed the Prince of Darkness to come and rescue you?" she wondered suddenly.

"I thought Hans South-Isles was the Prince of Darkness?" Belle asked. She desperately wanted the subject to change.

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's _definitely _Adam," she corrected.

Belle couldn't help but laugh. As regal and mature as Elsa was, sometimes she acted like a small child. It reassured her, especially since her friend took on a lot of responsibility after her parents died. For a while, she kept her distance from her friends and her sister. It broke Belle's heart, as well as Anna's. Somehow, though, they reconciled and became as close as ever.

Elsa was about to say something when Rapunzel and Anna crashed into them. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Belle's neck while Anna did the same to Elsa. Elsa and Belle exchanged confused looks.

"Um...what is going on?" Belle dared to ask.

"Rapunzel and I _may _or _may not_ have been playing around with a few new charms..." Anna started your say.

"...and I _may _or _may not _have accidentally hit Merida Dunbroch a.k.a Evil Raging Fire Spirit with a Quaffle..." Rapunzel admitted.

Elsa groaned and Belle gave Rapunzel a stern look. She and Anna grimaced. Then they heard the slurred, angry brogue belonging to a certain Gryffindor.

Merida stormed into the Great Hall, her eyes scanning the room for the two fourth years that hit the back of her head with a bloody Quaffle. She finally saw them at the Ravenclaw table hiding behind Anna Arendelle's sister and Belle French. Merida narrowed her eyes and stalked towards them, ready to yell and scold the two little brats.

As soon as she reached the table, Flynn Rider and Aladdin appeared, standing between Merida and the other girls. Flynn had quickly assessed the situation from the Slytherin table, and enlisted Aladdin's help to try and contain Merida's fury.

"What's the problem this time, Goldie?" he asked with a smirk.

"Um..." Rapunzel said.

"This bloody little blonde haired twit hit me in the head _again_, but this time, with a bloody Quaffle!" Merida exclaimed. She turned a glare at Rapunzel, her nostrils flaring and her red hair wilder than ever.

Flynn and Aladdin's eyes widened. She's angrier than they originally thought.

"Okay, okay, so _clearly_ history is slightly repeating itself -" Flynn started to say.

"Repeated? _REPEATED?! _" Merida yelled. "_SHE HIT ME WITH A FRYING PAN LAST TIME, AND NOW SHE HIT ME WITH A QUAFFLE FLYING AT FULL SPEED! THERE IS NO 'REPEAT' ABOUT IT, YOU -_"

"Ms. Dunbroch, I believe that's quite enough," a voice interrupted. Everyone turned to see Professor Hercules standing behind Merida. Anna and Rapunzel shrunk away guiltily, while Merida was still fuming.

Merida opened her mouth to say something, but the History of Magic professor held up his hand to silence her.

"First of all, five points from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Secondly, Misses Dunbroch, Germaine and Arendelle, if you would all please go to my office, we will get this matter straightened out. And if I hear a _single_ word out of the three of you _before _we get to my office, I will take off ten points from your respective houses. Now, if you will please follow me." Professor Hercules ordered.

Anna and Rapunzel slowly stood up and followed Hercules out of the Great Hall, taking special care to keep the professor between them and Merida.

Everyone in the Great Hall were shocked into silence.

_I know I wanted a subject change, but this isn't what I had in mind. _Belle thought to herself.

"I think I'm going to go back to the common room," Belle quietly announced.

Elsa gave an understanding nod. Belle smiled and stood up, walking out of the Great Hall.

Her mind started to replay all of the events of the day. First with Gaston's strangely aggressive behavior, then Adam's rescue, and Jasmine's desire to be tutored. Gaston and Jasmine made complete and perfect sense to her: Gaston was clearly becoming impatient with her, and Jasmine just wanted to guarantee her freedom when school ends for her. But Adam, the mysterious and reclusive boy with a face of an angel and a heart of a demon.

_'Face of an angel'? He's not _that _good-looking!_ She scolded herself. Even her thoughts weren't making sense. _It must be a full moon tonight_. She half joked.

Belle was so caught up in clearing and organizing her head that she nearly missed a shadow rush past her. She blinked a few times, before shaking her head and continued on.

Then, the shadow appeared again, this time in front of her and heading towards the grounds. Her insatiable curiosity drove her to follow it.

As soon as she reached the edge of the grounds, it disappeared. Looking up, Belle saw the bright light of the full moon. She gave a breathy laugh.

_Well, that explains it,_ she consented. _But I wonder what that shadow was? It didn't look like a ghost or that obnoxious poltergeist._

Shaking her head again, Belle returned to the castle and headed towards the Ravenclaw Tower. Clearly, she needed to get to bed before she started seeing a Grindylow or something equally ridiculous.

* * *

"Adam, the Headmistress needs to see you," Professor Jafar said at breakfast.

Adam paused mid-bite, and gave his Potions teacher a confused look.

"What does she need to see me about?" he asked.

"That's between you and her. Now, make haste before you miss my class." the professor deadpanned, gesturing to the door.

Adam refrained from rolling his eyes, stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

He followed the familiar path to the Headmaster's Tower, through the Gargoyle Corridor. Finally, he reached the third floor to the stone gargoyle statue. When he stopped in front of the statue, he realized Jafar never told him the password. He racked his brain for something random, as the Headmistress was wont to do, when the gargoyle suddenly came to life and stepped aside to reveal the staircase.

Adam hesitated for a moment before he climbed up to her office door. He lifted his fist to knock, but the door swung out and allowed him to enter. He lifted an eyebrow and slowly walked into the circular office.

"Oh, Adam, I think you have known me long enough to realize that I'm not going to bite you. You can walk a little bit faster than that!" a soft, low voice called out.

Adam sighed and entered fully into Professor Powers' office.

She sat behind a large desk, stroking the feathers of her phoenix. A serene, unsettling smile was on her lips as she waited for Adam to take a seat across from her.

The two sat in silence. They regarded each other, neither willing to speak first. The clicking and whirring of strange magical objects and the occasional shuffling of the pictures were the only sounds filling the room.

"Forte told me you ran away. Again," Powers stated, "Adam, we've discussed this. Running away from your problems doesn't solve them: it only makes them worse."

Adam grunted and crossed his arms. He avoided her gaze, focusing on the tattered old Sorting Hat sitting on a shelf to his right.

"Just because you're acting like a petulant brat - which is rather unbefitting for a seventeen year old, by the way - does _not _mean that I'm not going to pester you," she sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Adam...why did you run away?" she asked quietly.

He kept silent. At the moment, he didn't care if he was "acting like a petulant brat"; he wasn't going to say a single, bloody thing to her. The last time he did that, Adam was treated like he was made of glass. He didn't particularly relish the feeling.

"You're going to have to tell me eventually, Mr. de la Bête," Powers warned.

Adam stood up angrily and started pacing around the room. He could feel her eyes following him.

"I couldn't stand being in that house anymore. I needed to get away," he finally admitted.

"For a whole summer?"

He shrugged and continued pacing.

"What about the potion? Did you take any of it with you?"

"No. I hate what it does to me,"

"I know it's not exactly the most delicious of concoctions, but it was created to help people with your...condition, and control its symptoms,"

Adam snorted. "It doesn't change anything! It just...it just doesn't help me, in any way."

Powers smiled sadly. She stood up as well and walked over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Your 'condition' shouldn't make you feel ashamed. Before you contradict me, I _know_ that's what you truly think. But Adam, you can't let those thoughts control your life."

He shrugged her off and went back to pacing, taking special care to avoid her. She decided to lean against her desk and continue to watch him.

"Well, I suppose you should get to class. I don't know about you, but I am in no mood to listen to Jafar complain about tardy students today." she said after another moment of silence.

Adam nodded and headed for the door.

"Oh, before I forget, someone nearly saw you leave the castle last night." Powers added.

He stopped and turned around to face her. "Who?" he asked.

Powers smiled that discerning smile again.

"A lovely Ravenclaw fifth year...oh, what's her name, the one who reads a lot...ah! Belle French."

Adam froze. He knew someone had followed him to the grounds, but he didn't realize it was her.

At least, not then.

* * *

Gaston glared at Adam's back as he left the Great Hall to go talk to Professor Powers.

That idiot Adam de la Bête was _always_ getting undeserved attention.

Gaston had the same exact things he did: handsome, strong, talented, a pure bloodline and incredible wealth.

Though he had both his parents and Adam did not, he didn't believe there were that many differences between them. Even when they were best friends their first year - just before his parents died that Christmas - they were still treated differently.

_So why was it that he couldn't get the same royal treatment as his nemesis?_

He thought about it as he stabbed angrily at his eggs.

"Gaston, I think your eggs are dead enough as is." Naveen pointed out.

He shot the fifth year a glare as he shuffled the eggs into his mouth. Naveen simply chuckled, returning to whatever conversation he was having with Flynn and Jasmine.

Gaston continued his angry musings, even as he walked to his class.

All this thinking was giving him a headache. His father and his house elf, LeFou, had always warned him that thinking was a dangerous past time.

In fact, he was thinking so hard and for so long that he nearly missed his pretty little Belle rush past him. He smiled and greeted her with a warm "hello". She quietly reciprocated it, walking even faster.

He watched her go, enjoying the lovely view she was leaving him. Gaston never understood why she wouldn't spend time with him. They were absolutely perfect for each other! He was remarkably handsome and rich, and she was incredibly beautiful.

What more could she want?

Gaston reached his Potions class, but ultimately ignored Jafar's lecture on the properties of some potion. Instead he recalled the first time he met Belle.

It was in Hogsmeade, he remembered, during his fifth year. He was beguiling the Bourgeois Triplets with some Quidditch story. As he was getting to the climax, Gaston caught sight of her.

That fall day was unusually sunny, and her dark brown hair shone in the light. Her chocolate eyes were focused intensely on the book in her hands. She was walking towards the four of them, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Without preamble, Belle ran straight into him, knocking herself down to the ground and dropping her book.

"Ow..." she moaned. Belle looked up to see Gaston and his groupies standing over her.

"Oh! Did I run into you? I'm so sorry, I wasn't really looking where I was going..." she apologized.

Belle looked around for her book, found it, and started to get up. Gaston, in an effort to charm her, reached out for her arm and yanked her up. She gasped, wobbling precariously and nearly dropped her book again due to the sheer force of his pull.

"Um, thank you." she said.

"Gaston." he said with a smile.

She tilted her head, looking adorably confused. "Gaston?" she repeated.

"My name." he replied with a chuckle. He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. "Gaston Hunt. And you are?"

Her eyes lit up in recognition upon hearing his name. For some reason, she snapped her hand back from him and held her book up to her chest as if it was a shield.

"Belle French," she answered, "I-I have to go. Goodbye."

Belle bowed her head and quickly walked off.

And in that moment, he swore to make Belle his wife.

For two years, he made every effort to get her affections; gifts, invitations to visit during the summer and the school breaks, giving her his complete and undivided attention (even though he was _far _more interesting) and endless efforts to get her to go out with him during Hogsmeade visits. They usually worked on other girls - so why didn't they work with Belle?

Then again, he supposed, maybe mudbloods have different methods when it comes to dating? They were a strange, stupid bunch after all. He was going to have to actually do some research, which was very unlike him.

"Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt. _Mr. Hunt!_" an annoying voice interrupted his mind conversation.

Gaston looked up, giving his best, most charming smile to Professor Jafar. The Potions Master narrowed his eyes into thin slits and scowled.

"If you're done ignoring me, perhaps you can remove yourself from my classroom and go to your next class." Jafar hissed.

Gaston glared, and left the Potions classroom in a dramatic, aggressive fashion.

He mumbled angrily to himself, calling his head of house all sorts of rude names. As he walked, Gaston bumped into Adam.

The two stopped, stepped closer to each other until they were nose to nose, and stared down each other. The other students, feeling the growing tension, gave the two Slytherins a wide berth as they skirted away to their respective classes.

"Oh, will you two imbeciles _knock it off?!_" Malinda said, slapping the backs of their heads. "You're acting like five year olds! Grow up already and get to class!"

She stormed off, her annoying crow cawing at them, nipping Gaston's ear before he flew after his mistress.

Adam walked away without a second glance. Gaston, however, followed him with an angry, snarling gaze.

_One of these days,_ he thought. _I'm going to teach that beast a lesson._


	5. Halloween

{October 30th}

Jasmine threw her quill down in frustration. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. A sympathetic hand patted her shoulder.

"I don't understand any of this!" Jasmine moaned.

"We have been working on this for less than a month; I didn't expect you to understand these spells right away," Belle tried to reassure her.

"But Professor Odie is testing us on these in less than a week! I need to know them _now_!" she exclaimed. Jasmine banged her head face-down on the table and groaned again.

"The only reason why it's so difficult is that Transfiguration is an exact art. You need to know every possible outcome before you can even perform the spell," her tutor explained quietly. "I always found learning the theories first, before you even attempt it, is the best way to go about it. Besides, we've been pretty focused on other subjects for a while."

Jasmine turned her head to look at Belle, her cheek resting on the tabletop. Belle smiled reassuringly.

Jasmine sighed, "I guess you're right..."

Belle's smile widened and she patted her shoulder again.

"How about we work on this tomorrow?" she suggested.

Jasmine sat up quickly and gave Belle a tight hug, thanking her and telling her she'll be more than ready tomorrow. Belle laughed, shooing the Slytherin girl away.

With a slight shake of her head, Belle set to work on putting away all of the books they had borrowed. She walked through the library, returning the books to their proper place.

As she was about to return the last few books, she saw Adam hunched over in a chair by a corner. He looked just as frustrated as Jasmine did moments earlier.

Belle bit her lip, feeling a sudden urge to help him.

Taking a quick look around, she stealthily sauntered towards him. She looked over his shoulder to see the books thrown haphazardly around the table. A piece of paper with a list of advanced Charms was visible. She recognized the names, and recalled where she had seen them before.

Quickly scanning through the stack of books in her arms, she found the one she was looking for and slipped it out.

Belle was about to give him the tome when she hesitated. Adam de la Bête was well known for his pride and temper; he could easily become upset if a lowly little fifth year offered him any sort of help.

Before she could even stop herself, she gently tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped slightly at her touch. Adam turned, ready to yell at whoever disturbed him. But when he saw it was Belle, he suddenly couldn't form any words.

Her large brown eyes bore into his. She smiled softly as she held out a book to him.

Adam tilted his head in confusion.

"This happens to be an excellent book on advanced Charms. It explains them quite well," Belle explained.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why are you giving this to me?" he asked.

"It looked to me like you needed a little help. That's all I'm offering. You can take it or leave it." she answered.

Adam's eyes widened. Belle stretched out her arm a little more, motioning to the book in her hand.

He hesitated for a moment, then carefully took it from her. She smiled, nodding a goodbye and walked away.

He watched her go in disbelief. Belle took the initiative to help a vaguely known stranger, not expecting any thanks in return. He shook his head. _Belle French truly is a funny girl._

Adam glanced down at the book in his hand. Deciding that it was worth a try (he wasn't getting anywhere on his own), he opened the book and read through it. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it was exactly what he needed. A wry smile appeared on his lips as he took notes from the text.

Noticing how late it was getting, he gathered his papers and the books he borrowed.

"What were you doing with the little Ravenclaw girl?"

Adam started at the voice, nearly dropping the books in his hand. He turned to see Malinda Ficient leaning against a bookcase, casually stroking Diaval.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked.

Mal rolled her eyes. "You heard me, dear. Now answer the question,"

Adam shook his head. He doesn't really owe Mal anything. She's simply someone from his childhood that enjoys meddling into his life.

"Adam, you and I have known each other long enough for you to realize that I don't give up so easily," she reminded him. "So just answer me and I'll leave you alone."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was an easy enough question - so why was he reluctant to answer?

"I was...struggling with a few spells, and she gave me a book that simplified them. That's all." he finally said.

Mal's green eyes lit up, and a mischevious smile graced her lips. Then she started laughing. Adam was taken aback by it, even taking a step away from her.

Mal kept laughing as she walked away from him.

_Well, tomorrow _is _Halloween; she's always been a bit more...eccentric this time of year. _he consented.

Finally leaving the library, he headed for the Slytherin common room.

Before he could walk through the entrance, a solid body slammed into him, forcing him against a wall.

Adam grunted and clutched his stomach, bending over slightly. When he looked up, he saw a very angry Gaston.

"Gaston. What do I owe this pleasure?" Adam asked sarcastically.

"Stay away from Belle, she's _mine_," Gaston answered.

Adam lifted an eyebrow. He pushed himself off the wall and circled around Gaston. The other boy simply glared and clenched his jaw. He looked like a hungry, cornered animal. Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the situation.

"I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but I can honestly tell you I have no interest in that mudblood." he informed him.

Before Gaston could say another word, Adam brushed past him and left him standing in the hallway.

_Always the drama king..._ he thought to himself. He wasn't entirely sure where all that nonsense came from. Adam definitely didn't see himself pursuing Belle French. True, part of the reason was that she was muggle born, but the other part...he wasn't entirely sure.

Not wanting to think upon it further, or face any of his housemates, he went straight to bed.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Jasmine willed her broom up into the air. When she reached a comfortable elevation, she hung in the air. Jasmine took a moment to enjoy the crisp autumn evening. It felt nice to get out of that stuffy old library. Belle was great, no question about it, but the studying was starting to become too much. Flying was her only release. And she really needed the practice; she didn't have any opportunities over the summer.

Jasmine flew around the quidditch field, going at different speeds and heights, and eventually started to cruise around at a steady pace.

She was getting ready to land when a blurred shape rushed past her. Jasmine looked around, trying to find the culprit when he flew past her again.

Anger swelled up inside her. Without realizing it, she started to chase the flyer. When she got close enough, she kicked his broom as hard as she could. Because of the force of the kick, the broom spun out of control and dropped at a disconcerting speed.

Suddenly feeling guilty, Jasmine descended to check on the fallen flyer.

As she got closer, she saw it was Gryffindor's seeker Aladdin Ali. He was laying on the ground, moaning and clutching his arm.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Ali! Are you okay?" she asked as soon as her feet touched the ground.

Aladdin nodded and started to get up. He hissed in pain and clutched his arm again.

"That...that was quite a kick," he said, walking over to her. "I should apologize. I didn't mean to scare you. I totally deserved getting knocked off my broom."

Jasmine's eyes widened. Gryffindors were known for being just as proud as Slytherins (even if they were a bit more arrogant about it), so the mere fact that _he_ apologized...well, it certainly took her by surprise.

"I almost forgot how amazing of a flyer you are. No wonder our teams get really heated, " Aladdin continued.

She felt her cheeks grow warm. She looked away, focusing on a random patch of grass. They were quiet for a long time.

"I think I'm okay to fly again," Aladdin announced suddenly.

Jasmine continued to look away.

"Hey, why don't we practice together? I don't have any of the balls with me, but we can do some speed drills," he suggested.

Her head shot back up, her eyes widening again. What was this boy up to?

"Why?" she asked.

Aladdin tilted his head. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to practice...with _me_?"

"It's not like I want to steal any of your secrets or anything," he laughed. "I just want to practice with someone who knows what she's doing."

When Jasmine didn't say anything, he held out his hand. She eyed him and his hand suspiciously.

"Do you trust me?" Aladdin asked quietly.

"What?" she searched his face, looking for some sign that he's simply making fun of her.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated.

Before she could stop herself, Jasmine placed her hand in his. "Yes." she answered.

Aladdin smiled. They gave each other a firm shake.

For the rest of the evening, they raced, gave tips and simply flew around.

It was the most fun Jasmine Aziz had in a very, _very _long time.

* * *

{October 31st}

"Ah, Halloween! The time of year where my friends on the other side come to visit!" Facilier sing-songed.

He danced a strange jig, gliding around his colleagues in the Headmistress' office.

"Oh, do put a sock in it Facilier! That's all you've been saying since October first..._f__or the last fifteen years!_" Merryweather huffed.

Facilier simply shrugged and continued dancing. The faculty members rolled their eyes. They had all heard it before, and therefore saw no point in intervening.

The faculty were chatting quietly amongst themselves when Lucinda Powers walked in. They all stood up to greet her. She nodded in kind. When she reached her desk, Powers asked everyone to sit down. Chairs appeared right behind their future recipients. When they were all seated, she started to speak.

"Thank you all for coming," Powers began. "Something extremely worrying came to my attention this morning. Something that will effect the entire school - maybe even the world."

Everyone in the office murmured, exchanging worried looks. Jafar, Iago and Facilier, however, were unusually quiet. Powers lifted her hand, indicating for everyone to quiet down. She gestured to the raven-haired woman on her right.

"Esmeralda, if you could please relay what you told me," she requested.

The woman, Esmeralda, nodded and stepped forward.

"Well, I admit, the vision was rather vague, but clear enough for me to realize that someone we thought was gone forever...will return tonight," she said.

"Who? Who will return?" Flora asked.

Esmeralda's green eyes saddened. "_Her_." she stated gravely.

The room fell into a deathly silence. No one breathed, no one moved - - not even the pictures.

Just silence.

Powers regarded her employees carefully. She gauged each and every one of them, noting their expressions and body language.

After the long, suffocating moment of silence, Powers stood up. Everyone snapped their attention back to her.

"Unfortunately, Esmeralda is unsure where _she_ will return; just that it's tonight," Powers said. "Prepare yourselves for anything and everything,"

"What about the students? What should we tell them, Headmistress?" Lumiere wondered.

"For now, nothing. There is no the point in worrying them unnecessarily." she replied.

With a wave of her hand, Powers dismissed her colleagues, telling them she'll join them in the Great Hall shortly.

They slowly trickled out of the office until only she and Esmeralda were left. The Divination professor turned angrily at the Headmistress.

"The students have to know, Lucinda!" Esmeralda stated. "They are all competent; they can't be coddled forever."

Powers sighed, "I know. But until we get all the facts, I don't see why we should scare them," she stood up and headed for the door. "When people are filled with fear, they're not very good at making decisions."

Esmeralda lifted a corner of her mouth in a semblance of a smile, although Powers couldn't see it. She followed the Headmistress to the Great Hall.

When the two women entered the room, everyone was there. The excited ramblings of the students filled the air. Lumiere had lit and levitated the jack-o-lanterns, Fauna had brought in some bats and the ceiling held the image of a full yellow moon. Powers couldn't help but smile. This is what people should _always_ feel: happy. But then again, she consented, it's difficult to obtain happiness. And that's the one thing she wanted _all_ of her students to have. They deserve to feel joyful for this brief moment of time.

Hercules clinked his glass goblet, calling for all the students' attention. A sudden hush fell over the room, all eyes on the teachers table. Powers stood up. She smiled serenely at her students before beginning her speech.

"Good evening students. I hope your All Hallow's _Day_ has gone pleasantly. Now we shall celebrate -"

The lights suddenly went out. The bats screeched and the moon turned blood red. The students gasped and murmured as the teachers sat frozen in their seats.

The doors flew open and a strong gust of wind blew through the room. As it died down, a shadowy figure stood in the hallway. As soon as it stepped foot in the Great Hall, a set of torches lit up. The figure started to walk - glide, to be precise - between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, and with each step, the torches would burn and get brighter. When the shadow reached the middle of the room, it stopped.

The fire from the torches illuminated the figure, revealing a large, blue skinned woman with short white hair and a long black dress that looked like tentacles. She opened up her arms in a dramatic manner, as if she was welcoming them.

"Oh, it is so_ wonderful_ to return to Hogwarts! It hasn't changed a bit," she drawled. She looked around the room. "Why, my _dear_, _sweet _children - don't look so glum! Halloween is meant to be a celebration! A time to welcome back those who were..._once _gone!"

She turned in a short circle, her skirts flaring out and an evil grin gracing her face as she gathered the attention of the Hall.

"Ah, I see that some of you don't know who I am," she observed. "Especially you mudbloods," she added under her breath.

She waited a moment before speaking again, "I am Ursula, the 'Sea Witch' as I used to be called. I have a particular..._affinity_ for all things dark and aquatic. Fear not, though: I'm simply here to _warn _you,"

Ursula turned her attention to Powers, who showed no emotion. Her grin became more menacing.

"Some of you in this room are the offspring of those who sought to destroy me. Your teachers, most especially your Headmistress Lucinda Powers, even _fought_ against me.

"Know this, _all of you__!_ I will_ destroy_ those of you who go against me, and _everything you hold dear! _Your voices will cease to exist; your souls will belong to me!"

Ursula began laughing. She turned on her heel and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving it in darkness once again.

As soon as the doors closed, the lights returned.

The entire room was silent. The students looked up at the head table as the teachers exchanged worried, fearful expressions.

Powers slowly sat down. _Well, this happened far sooner than I expected._

* * *

_**A/N: **_Things are a-brewing at Hogwarts!

The scene with this story's "You-Know-Who", Ursula, is inspired by the pilot episode of _Once Upon a Time _and one of its main character Regina a.k.a the Evil Queen. The actress, Lana Parilla, based a lot of her character on Ursula, as she is her favorite Disney character. So in my crazy mind, it totally makes sense.

I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for more!

Don't forget: you can **_ALWAYS_** prompt me for this verse!


	6. Crashes and Crushes

Last night's events made Tiana Smith worry beyond belief. She had heard the many different stories of the Sea Witch from some of the older students and the ones who were born in the wizarding world. Tiana couldn't help but think of the muggle wars in the Middle East, and therefore her father, who had fought and died in one of those wars. When she thought of him, she always felt the strong urge to cook.

Tiana thanked her lucky stars that the Hufflepuff common room was located right next to the kitchens. The freed house-elves that worked there always greeted her kindly and allowed her to have use of the room.

She went straight to work, grabbing a giant soup pot and ingredients. Soon she cut up, added to the pot and stirred them in to create her family's gumbo recipe. Her parents had lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, but had moved to England to find better prospects.

The rhythmed sounds of chopping and mixing soothed her, allowing her to temporarily forget about the Sea Witch and focus on creating a delicious dish to share with her friends and maybe the house-elves.

Tiana was so focused and intent on making gumbo she barely registered a loud **CRASH **coming from behind her.

It wasn't until she felt something hit her leg that she realized anything was occuring. Tiana turned around and gasped.

Food, pots, pans and various utensils were laying on the floor. The house-elves were frozen with shock, staring at the human standing in the middle of the chaos. Tiana recognized him as Naveen Maldonia.

"What in the _world _happened here?!" she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips.

Naveen looked up at her, instantly flashing her his default "charming" smile and shrugged. "I was just looking to make myself to eat, but I couldn't find anything appetizing, so I used _accio_, and...well..." Naveen gestured to the room.

Tiana gave him a no-nonsense, disbelieving look.

He laughed nervously, feeling completely shocked that this girl is completely immune to his smile. Most girls swoon (_swoon!_) at the mere _glimpse_ of it. Instead, she stalked towards him until she was toe-to-toe with him. Her expression changed to a glare as she looked him straight in the eye and she pointed behind her at the mess he created.

"You are going to apologize to the elves, then you are going to clean this mess up," she commanded.

Naveen opened his mouth but the bossy Hufflepuff girl told him to "not even think about it" and "get to work". She turned on her heel with finality and walked back to the counter she was working at.

He stared back at her in complete shock when he felt a tiny tug on his pant leg. Naveen looked down to see an elf trying to get his attention.

"You don't have to apologize, sir," it squeaked. "But we house-elves would greatly appreciate the help cleaning up. And we don't want you to get into too much trouble with Miss Tiana."

He tilted his head and gave the elf a confused look. "Who is Miss Tiana?"

The house-elf looked at him incredulously before pointing at the angry, bossy girl. Naveen gave a quiet "ah" and, not wanting to feel her wrath again, started to clean up with the elves.

As he worked, he stole occasional glances in Tiana's direction.

When she wasn't so angry and commanding, she was actually quite lovely.

He was sure he had seen her before...

_Oh! She's in my year! _he remembered.

How was it that he had never really noticed her before?

Tiana moved quickly, yet gracefully as she worked. Her eyes were peaceful and focused, and she had a small smile on her face.

Naveen couldn't help but admit to himself that he actually _enjoyed_ watching her. Then he realized how creepy that was and went back to cleaning. Only, he was done cleaning, and therefore had no reason to stay.

He was about to quietly sneak out when a delicious, heavenly scent reached his nose. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Without realizing it, Naveen followed the smell until he nearly knocked Tiana over. She gave a protest and swatted his arm.

He ignored her response, then asked, "What is that heavenly smell?"

"Gumbo," she answered.

"Gumbo..." Naveen repeated. The name sounded familiar. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Oh! It's that, uh, soupy and chunky American dish, yes?"

Tiana stopped stirring. She gently set the spoon down on the counter, turned to face him and crossed her arms.

"Yes, that's basically it. How do you know? Most people who live in Europe don't know that," she gave him a dubious look.

"I spent most of the summer in Louisiana," he explained, giving her a soft smile.

"Where in Louisiana?"

"New Orleans,"

"My parents are from New Orleans,"

"Well, that explains it," Naveen stated.

"Explains what?" Tiana wondered.

He reached for her face, and gently placed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Why you're so beautiful,"

Against her will, Tiana blushed. She tried to save face and went back to stirring the gumbo. It was quiet, except for the pitter-patter of the elves working and the bubbling gumbo.

"Would you like a taste?" she asked.

"I'd love a taste!" he exclaimed.

Tiana smiled. She was about to lift the spoon before remembering the extra Tabasco. She quickly added it, stirred it in and lifted the spoon again. Naveen took the spoon and tasted the gumbo. His forehead was scrunched in concentration. His expression changed to one of pure happiness. He stepped away and did a funny little dance.

"That is _amazing_! I've _never _tasted anything so incredible in my entire life!"

Tiana laughed. "Would you like a bowl?"

"Oh, yes!" he sauntered back to her. Naveen grabbed her hand and kissed it. "And, I would like to know your name."

"Tiana Smith," she smiled. "And what's your name?"

"Naveen Maldonia,"

"It's nice to meet you, Naveen Maldonia."

"The pleasure is mine, Tiana Smith."

* * *

Chip Potts was sitting in the courtyard, drawing doodles of hearts when three red-headed monsters crashed into him, knocking his books out of his arms and strewing papers everywhere.

Hamish, Hubert and Harris Dunbroch dog piled on top of their Ravenclaw friend.

"Ow..." Chip moaned.

"Oh, come off it, Chip! We didn't hit you _that _hard!" one of the triplets exclaimed. Hubert, he thought.

"Could've fooled me," he mumbled.

"What was that?" another one said. Sounded like Harris.

"I said why don't_ you_ 'come off' _me_?" Chip said loudly.

"Alright, alright! No need to be rude about it," Hamish appeared to have said.

Chip rolled his eyes. Honestly, he wondered why they were even friends. The Dunbroch brothers weren't even in the same house as him, and they only had a few classes together.

"How about you just _get off?!_" Chip retorted.

"Hey, Hamish said 'alright', didn't he? Just give us a minute, Harris has to get off first," Hubert said.

Soon, the boys climbed off of each other and Chip stood up. He turned to glare at Hamish, Hubert and Harris.

"Why did you guys knock me over anyways?! You could've just called out to me, or tapped my shoulder, or something that _doesn't involve piling on top of me!_" he demanded.

"Well, we _did_ call you, but you were too busy doodling in your notebook to hear us," Hamish explained.

"And we _would've _tapped your shoulder, except that we knew it wouldn't work," Harris added.

"So we did the next best thing," Hubert smirked.

Chip groaned, slapping his hand to his face. Of course, he just _had _to attract the three most _annoying people to ever annoy people_.

"Ugh, fine, whatever!" he said. "Just help me clean up this mess you made, will you?"

The brothers rolled their eyes but agreed to help him. As they picked up the scattered papers, Harris found one covered with the name of a particular Ravenclaw fifth year. He smiled widely and started waving the piece of paper around.

"Chip has got a girlfriend, Chip has got a girlfriend!" he sang.

The blonde haired Ravenclaw shot up, his face turning bright red and his fists clenched tightly. Chip ran to grab the paper, but Harris smugly put it out of reach. Chip was becoming more angry by the second.

Harris laughed, crumpled up the paper and tossed it to Hubert. Hubert uncrumpled it and he and Hamish huddled together to read it.

A moment later, Hamish gave a hoot of laughter and Hubert smirked mischievously.

Chip knew That Look. That Look meant trouble - excruciatingly _embarrassing_ trouble. His eyes widened.

"_Don't even __**think**__ about it__..._"

The three brothers shared That Look.

Without warning, Hubert took off like a shot. Chip chased right after him.

The two ran down a corridor at full speed. Hubert turned a corner, causing Chip to lose him. Chip turned the corner, only to find that he came to a crossroads.

He stood in the middle, looking down each hall in hopes of finding some trace of his so-called "friend".

A giggle sounded through to his right. Then another to his left; another straight in front of him.

_No, not _**_this_**_ again! _he thought despairingly.

Those three idiots _loved_ to use their identical genes against him and confuse him. Chip never understood why _he_ was always their primary victim, but he could happily say he's starting to tell the difference between them.

He remained still and silent, trying to distinguish the evil laughs. He guessed that Hubert was in the left-hand corridor, so he rushed off in that direction. Just as Chip thought he caught Hubert, it turned out to be Hamish, who stuck his tongue out and ran off.

Chip groaned again and continued the fruitless effort of stopping the Evil Triplets. At every crossroad, they managed to beat him there and trick him.

At the fifth crossroad, Chip finally had enough.

"THAT IS IT! I HAVE _HAD IT!_" he yelled. "If you guys don't give me back that piece of paper, I'm telling Kida, Anna and Rapunzel that you like them!"

He heard a gasp, and the sound of feet running in his direction. Hubert, Harris and Hamish stood in front of him and glared.

"You wouldn't _dare_, Chip Potts," they said together.

Chip crossed his arms and shot back their signature smug look. "_Watch me._"

With the final say in his proverbial pocket, Chip ran off in the direction of the Black Lake, where he knew the girls would all be on this sunny day.

He ran as fast as he could to the lake's shore. He could see Kida, Anna and Rapunzel sitting under a tree with their boyfriends, along with Belle, Elsa, Jane and Tarzan.

Smiling, he went straight towards them, stopping just before he could trip over Rapunzel's ridiculously long hair. He started to lose his balance, but luckily Flynn caught him in time and steadied him.

"Oh, hiya, Chip!" Rapunzel greeted. "What's going on?"

Chip panted, hands resting on his knees. When he started to breathe normally again, he straightened his back and lifted his chin.

"I have something to tell you, Kida and Anna," he said.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Anna asked.

"You know Merida's little brothers, right?" he started to say. "Well -"

Once again, Chip was knocked down by the three wee devils. They tried to clamp their hands over his mouth, but he managed to evade them long enough to say, "_Hamish, Hubert and Harris have a crush on you three!_"

The Dunbrochs froze, sheer terror and absolute anger shone in their eyes. Everyone was quiet, staring at the four boys.

Flynn and Kristoff started to laugh. Then Kida, Anna and Rapunzel. Soon, the group of older students were all laughing, much to the young first years' dismay.

"Oh, that is just so _cute!_" Anna gushed.

"It really is!" Rapunzel agreed.

All the girls made sounds of agreements, while Flynn and Kristoff still laughed.

Seeing an opportunity, Hamish smiled.

"Do you know what is even cuter than me and me brothers?" he asked.

Realizing what their brother had planned, Hubert and Harris snickered. Chip's eyes widened in horror.

"And what would that be?" Belle wondered.

Before Chip could even attempt to stop him, Hubert and Harris slapped their hands over his mouth and lay on top of him.

"Funny you should ask, Belle, because _Chip _has a crush on _you_."

The group was silent again as all eyes fell on Belle, and later Chip. The boy's face turned bright red and unshed tears shone in his eyes.

Belle opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a high-pitched battle cry and the sound of a fist hitting a face.

Chaos ensued as the four boys started wrestling each other.

"Um, shouldn't we try to stop them...?" Rapunzel asked.

"No, just leave them be for now. They'll be over it soon," Tarzan answered quietly.

The older boys and Kida nodded in agreement. Anna, Rapunzel and Jane shared a dubious look, but consented and let the first years have at it.

Twenty minutes and many cuts and bruises later, Hamish, Hubert, Harris and Chip were all in the infirmary being tended by the school's nurse and Chip's mother Madam Potts.

Madam Potts quietly scolded them as she cleared up their physical wounds. Their pride, however, could not be healed by her wand.

"I've never believed in the 'boys will be boys' ideology, so I will be informing your House heads and you will be punished accordingly," she concluded. "Now then, you're all better now. I suggest that you all return to your common rooms. Off you go now,"

The boys nodded, filing out of the infirmary with hung heads. Chip was about to leave when his mother's gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

"Christopher, are you going to tell me why you were fighting with the Dunbroch boys?" she asked.

Chip shook his head. If he was being completely honest with himself, he never, _ever_ wants to think about today ever again.

Madam Potts sighed. "Alright then. Go back to your common room, dear,"

Chip nodded, waving goodbye and ran back to Ravenclaw Tower.


	7. The Quidditch Match

{November}

Adam woke up with a sudden thrill shaking through him. It usually came from one of two things: the first Quidditch match of the year, and his "affliction".

He, however, knew for sure it was in anticipation to Slytherin's match against Gryffindor, the first of the Quidditch season. Ever since he and Kida Nedakh became the captains of their respective teams, the rivalry and level of playing were higher and stronger. It could be counted on that their matches were very interesting and exciting to watch, regardless of their houses' infamous rivalry.

Looking at the clock, Adam quickly dressed and left the common room. He rushed up the dungeon steps, heading for the Great Hall.

Adam glanced away for just a second when he felt himself collide with something. Or rather someone, judging by the _ooff! _he heard. Instinctively, he reached out and steadied both the person and himself.

When he looked down, his breath inadvertently caught in his throat.

Belle French had, once again, run straight into him with a book in hand. Well, it was, anyways, until he saw her bend down and retrieve it. He wasn't aware that his hands remained on her shoulders.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! I really should look where I'm -" she started to apologize. Belle looked up and gasped. "A-Adam!" she exclaimed.

Adam nodded dumbly, suddenly taken in by her eyes. He didn't remember them being such a rich color of brown, like chocolate or something equally decadent.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry for running straight into you again! I'm usually much better at paying attention..."

"It's fine," he stated gruffly.

"Oh," she sighed. Belle looked down again.

"Um...I think I'm steady," she said after a moment.

"What?" Adam asked.

"Your hands are still on my shoulders," she reminded him. He cocked his head to the side. Belle smiled and giggled. "You can let go of me now."

Adam glanced down. His hands _were _still on her shoulders. He jerked them back, as if he'd been burned.

Belle's eyes saddened a little, almost like she really didn't want him to let go of her. Adam mentally shook his head. His mind was still waking up, he reasoned. He was merely imagining things.

They stood in awkward silence, carefully avoiding each other's gazes.

"I-I should go now," Belle broke the silence. She gave him another smile, a smaller one, and walked straight past him. She stopped for a brief moment to turn around. "Good luck at the match today!"

Adam nodded again, his tongue suddenly feeling like lead. Belle gave him a small wave and walked away again.

His eyes bore into her back. Why was he feeling so..._strange_ when it came to Belle French?

He shook his head again to clear his mind. He can't think about anything (or anyone) except the Quidditch match. Adam walked to the Great Hall as he thought through his assets and strategies.

Although Jasmine had been training harder than anyone, she still hadn't practiced enough during the summer.

Then there were the Chasers: Naveen, Flynn and Hans. Adam had to begrudgingly admit they work well together, despite the bickering between Flynn and Hans. But, thankfully, Naveen was an excellent buffer for them and kept them on track.

And, of course, the Beaters Gaston and Shan Yu, another seventh year. They were always aggressive, and more often than not called out on many of their illegal moves, but at least they kept the Bludgers away.

Despite his rather adventurous summer, he felt he was well prepared to act as Keeper.

* * *

Milo sat and watched Kida pace up and down the corridor, muttering angrily to herself in Antlantian. He felt a small smile grow on his face. Excluding a few teachers, Milo was the only one who actually understood what she says when speaking in her native tongue.

Glancing down at his watch, he noticed that there was less than a half hour until Kida needed to get to the Quidditch pitch.

Milo stood up and, with surprisingly quick reflexes, reached out and grabbed her by the waist. He pulled her into his chest and locked his arms around her. She gave a noise of protest, demanding he let go.

"Kida, you need to relax. Everything is going to be fine," he reassured her in Antlantian.

Kida relaxed into his hold, but shook her head. She placed her hands on his and squeezed.

"It's not the match I'm worried about, Milo. It's that woman, the Sea Witch Ursula," she admitted. "When she was terrorizing everyone here, that was when my father wanted to reestablish contact with the rest of the world. I'm afraid she might try to go after Atlantis now."

Her companion held her tighter and kissed her cheek.

"Not if your father has anything to say about it," Milo said.

Kida couldn't help but laugh, despite her concerns. She turned around to face him, placing her hands around his neck.

"I suppose that's true. But it still doesn't change how I feel about what happened Halloween," Kida said.

"I know. But we can't live in the past," he stated sagely, wrapping a lock of hair around her ear. "We can learn from it, but it shouldn't dictate how we go about the future."

She nodded and smiled half-heartedly.

"You know, you still speak through your nose," she teased, kissing his nose.

Milo rolled his eyes. "It's not like I've had anyone to practice with since the day I was born," he countered.

Kida giggled and pecked his nose again. She remembered the little scrawny first year with a diminished figure and large forehead with equally large glasses who was afraid of his own shadow, but had desperately wanted to meet her. The past five years have rapidly changed him for the better. Sure, he still had his scholarly physique and too-large glasses, but now Milo was more confident in himself. Although it saddened her slightly that no one outside of their small group of friends can see that he's more than "the Man of Letters".

Milo bent his head slightly and gently pressed his lips to hers. She made a satisfied sound in her throat.

Much to her dismay, he pulled away. Kida mumbled a protest and playfully glared at him.

"Come on, you have a game to win!" he exclaimed.

She smiled widely and nodded. Milo gave her another kiss and rushed off to meet with Jane and Belle. Kida walked off in the opposite direction, heading towards the quidditch pitch.

* * *

"Alright! Team captains, please come forward and shake hands," Madame Merryweather ordered.

Kida Nedakh and Adam de la Bête stepped forward. Looking at each other straight in the eye, they shook each other's hands firmly before stepping away.

Madame Merryweather nodded in stiff satisfaction. She bent down and opened the chest holding the Quaffle, Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch.

"Good, now everyone mount your brooms," she said. "I want a good, clean game. _From all of you_."

The Gryffindor and Slytherin teams nodded as they willed their brooms to rise.

As soon as all the players were in place, Merryweather released the balls.

Phillip Drake caught the Quaffle first, racing around and away from the Slytherin Chasers. He threw it to Merida Dunbroch as she sped by. She lined herself up to toss the Quaffle. It nearly went through the center hoop if it weren't for Adam catching it and throwing it towards Flynn Rider.

And on and on the game went in a similar pattern, only interrupted by the Beaters hitting the Bludgers and the Seekers occasionally whizzing by if they happen to have spotted the Golden Snitch.

Belle never really understood the draw for any sports, muggle or otherwise. She would have been just as happy sitting on a windowsill reading a book as she would sitting out in the brisk chill of fall watching a bunch of insane students fly around on broomsticks, hitting and catching balls at the risk of crashing to the ground at a break-neck speed.

She, however, prided herself on her loyalty to her friends (especially after Elsa had so kindly and fully explained Quidditch to her her first year), so she sat with them and endured the boring task of spectating as they watched their Gryffindor friends fly around.

Except, for some reason, she couldn't help herself but keep her eyes on Adam.

Lately, that's all she _has_ been doing, much to her dismay. Belle admired how he moved around, with such purpose and grace and...well, with a certain feral quality to his actions.

Like a hunter.

Or, more like a wolf.

She shook her head. That was silly, she had no idea where that thought came from. Belle reasoned it was because he moved a bit differently than the other players she has seen since her first year. She even admitted to herself that watching Adam de la Bête was one of the few redeeming qualities about watching Quidditch matches.

Realizing that she was focusing a little _too_ much on him, Belle changed it to look at the other flyers, only to capture the attention of Gaston Hunter for a brief moment. He smiled and winked at her. She cringed visibly and went back to staring intently at Aladdin and Jasmine racing each other as they went after the Golden Snitch.

The game wore on and on, Gaston occasionally flying close to the specators (much to the squealing delight of the Bourgeious Triplets), with a few close calls whenever the players got into a tiff.

Belle watched attentively, chatting with her friends and cheering at the appropriate times.

But every so often, her eyes wandered back to Adam.

She hoped that he didn't notice.

Unbeknownst to Belle, Adam _did_ notice. In fact, it took all of his strength to _not_ focus on the pretty little Ravenclaw and keep it on the game at hand.

He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing that anyways: his "affliction" gave him heightened and more keen instincts than his fellow players, giving him the ability to play Quidditch accordingly while attending to something else enirely.

By late afternoon, the game was starting to finally end, Adam felt incredibly exhausted. He reasoned it was more of a mental strain than a physical one, though he could feel deep inside that it may be more than that.

Noticing that a majority of the action was taking place on the Gryffindor side of the pitch, he took the opportunity to quickly look at the score.

**_Gryffindor: 250 - Slytherin: 250_**

A tie.

He willed Jasmine to hurry up and grab the Snitch before everyone could fall off their brooms and plummet to the ground.

Thankfully, his thoughts were being answered as he saw the Seeker speed ahead of the other one, her arm outstretched in front of her.

The moment Jasmine's fingers touched the Snitch, Adam heard a high-pitch whistle. He covered his ears and gritted his teeth. He looked around, seeing that nobody was copying his actions; instead, they looked perfectly content looking at the flyers. They didn't appear to have heard anything like he was.

The action of his hands, however, caused him to lose control of his broom, making him fall straight down. The whistling grew painfully louder. Adam cried out in pain, his hands still clutched to his ears, though it was an entirely fruitless effort.

Eventually, the noise became too much for him and he saw the world darken before his eyes,

Before losing consciousness, he heard a voice call out an incantation that slowed his falling body, and another cackling evilly and maniacally.

Then everything became black and quiet.

* * *

The clock struck twelve and rung throughout the school. The inhabitants of Hogwarts lay restfully in their beds.

All except two.

They moved amongst the shadows, heading towards the Forbidden Forest. The two figures covered themselves in black cloaks that caused them to blend in perfectly with their dark surroundings.

The figures travelled to a clearing where another set of dark figures stood waiting.

They held a glowing green lantern, revealing identical faces. Their faces were long and pale, with one white eye amd one yellow eye on each face, mirroring eah other exactly.

The other figures removed the hoods of their cloaks. Jafar and Facilier slowly approached the creepy twins.

"Flotsam, Jetsam," Facilier greeted. Jafar nodded in kind.

"Our mistress wishes to know if _it_ worked," the twins asked.

"Is 'it' referring to this?" Facilier reached into his cloak and pulled out a tiny silver whistle with a wolf's head on the mouthpiece. "Then yes, it did in fact work. Jafar even shot up the Dark Lady's mark."

The twins looked at each other, then back at the Hogwarts teachers.

"Show us." they commanded.

Jafar narrowed his eyes, but rolled up his left sleeve anyways. He stepped closer and turned his forearm around. On it in black ink was a gaping skull with eight tentacles surrounding it like a hand holding a ball.

Flotsam and Jetsam put their heads together unil their yellow eyes were barely touching and leaned towards Jafar's arm. They stared at the tattoo for a long time. Facilier tapped his toe impatiently.

Finally, the twins pulled back and gave them crooked grins.

"Good, very good," Flotsam said.

"Yes, the mistress is pleased," Jetsam added.

Jafar stepped back and pulled his sleeve back down. "If that will be all, th-"

"Our mistress has another assignment," the twins interrupted.

"She wants you to recruit the twelfth son of South-Isles..." Flotsam started.

"...and have him entice the eldest daughter of Arendelle to use her ice powers," Jetsam finished.

"He can use any method he wishes..."

"...and the mistress wishes you to continue persuing the son of de la Bête..."

"...as well as any student who are..."

"..._sympathetic _to her cause..."

"Now we bid you good night," they said together. "We shall meet again before the winter starts."

The twins bowed, snuffed out the green light and merged with the darkness.

Facilier and Jafar looked at each other.

"It seems our job just got a little bit harder," Jafar commented.

"I could ask my friends on the other side to-" Facilier started to suggest before his companion held up a hand.

"We'll only use your friends as a last resort," he said. "They usually draw too much attention. For now, we have to tread carefully. Lucinda is starting to become suspicious."

Facilier nodded and pulled his hood over his head. Jafar followed suite and they headed back to the school.

* * *

_**A/N:** _And here we have the author (me) taking literary liberties because I can and I will and I did.

More will be explained (maybe) in the next chapter.


	8. After the Match

Belle sat on a small stool staring at the peaceful, sleeping face of Adam de la Bête in the Hospital Wing. The sun was starting to set, and she knew that Madam Potts would ask her to return to the Ravenclaw common room.

But Belle couldn't bring herself to leave.

Instead, she recounted everything that happened at the Quidditch pitch when Adam nearly fell to his death.

Most of the action had moved down towards the Gryffindor side. Belle kept most of her attention on Adam, who was idly standing by.

Suddenly, he covered his ears and grimaced in pain. He looked around for something as he plummeted to the ground.

Belle could hear him scream. It grabbed the attention of some of the other spectators, who all gasped and pointed at the falling Keeper.

She glanced desperately at the teachers, who were frozen with shock.

_Why aren't they doing anything?! _she thought. _He's going to get hurt if they don't do _something_!_

Without a second thought, she pulled out her wand, pointed it at Adam and yelled, "_Arresto Momentum!_"

His body slowed to a stop, then he was gently placed on the ground.

She ran out of the stands and into the field. Belle fell to her knees beside Adam. She carefully raised his head and saw that his eyes were closed, and he was (thankfully) breathing.

As she breathed out a sigh of relief, Belle heard a familiar laugh; a dark, cruel cackling, and she looked up in it's direction.

The sky had darkened. The clouds were practically black and moving together to form a gruesome shape. A menacing skull surrounded by tentacles, all moving in a slow, slithering manner.

The Sea Witch's Mark.

Belle could feel her blood freeze despite the rapid pounding of her heart, just like on Halloween.

Just as quickly as the laugh and the Mark had appeared, they dissipated into oblivion. The clouds lightened and parted, revealing the sun.

The pitch was silent.

No one talked, no one moved, no one breathed.

All eyes were aimed at the sky.

Belle felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, disrupting her reverie. She looked behind her to see the nurse smile kindly down at her.

"I think you should go to bed now, dear. He'll be alright," Mrs. Potts said quietly.

Belle nodded and slowly stood up. Mrs. Potts walked her out.

"You're welcome to visit him in the morning, if you want," she suggested.

Belle smiled and waved goodbye.

She made her way back to the common room in a daze, her thoughts completely consumed by the events of the day. Her quick, curious mind was trying to make sense of what transpired.

She reached the bronze eagle-head knocker. It asked her a riddle, which she answered mindlessly. Luckily, it was correct, and allowed her to enter.

"Belle!" someone called out as she walked into the common room.

Belle looked up and smiled slightly, and walked towards Jane and Milo, who were sitting by the fireplace. She sat between them on the couch. Jane immediately wrapped her arms around Belle.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked.

Belle tilted her head and lifted an eyebrow.

"You were pretty shook up at the match," she explained. "We just want to know that you're okay."

"Oh..." Belle responded. "I'm fine, truly I am."

Milo scooted closer and placed an arm awkwardly around the two girls. "We've been your best friends since our first year; we _know_ that you're not completely alright."

She nodded and allowed a few tears to flow. Her friends held her tighter as she cried. She felt exhausted and emotionally drained from the day. But, most of all, she felt so worried for Adam.

Voices.

That was the first thing Adam became consciously aware of; soft monotones that barely spoke coherent words. His mind rushed to piece together what the voices were saying.

One voice, however, caught his attention. It was the gentlest, the most comforting of the group and he latched onto it.

Listening to the voice pulled him out further into consciousness and soon enough the other voices became clearer. Adam caught snippets of the conversation.

"...will he remember what happened..."

"I'm not sure, the mind is a tricky thing..."

_What happened?_ Adam thought. Images flashed behind his eyes: the quidditch pitch, the crowd, his broom, Belle French. He remebered the high-pitched whistle and the evil laughter.

The laugh echoed through his mind, jerking him awake. His eyes snapped open. Light shone brightly and blurry to his long unused eyes, so he rapidly blinked to try and clear his sight.

He first saw, when his vision cleared, a familiar and lovely face. Her big brown eyes widened and a relieve smile formed on her lips.

"Good morning," Belle greeted.

Adam started to sit up. He kept his eyes on the girl beside him as he got comfortable.

They were quiet for a long time, staring and barely moving.

Belle was the first to look away, dropping her gaze to her lap. He took the chance to look around. The familiar surroundings of the Hospital Wing brought some comfort.

"H-how are you feeling?" she asked quietly. She wrung her fingers as she spoke.

"I'm...fine, I suppose," Adam answered.

She nodded, still avoiding his gaze. They were once again quiet, but the silence was even more awkward because they refused to look at each other.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked suddenly.

Belle finally looked up, clearly surprised by the question.

"Oh. Um...not long," she said. "Just since you fell off your broom yesterday afternoon. It's about 9 a.m. right now,"

He nodded and asked another question. "Do you know what happened...after I fell off my broom?"

"Um...well...I-I used _arresto momentum_ to slow down your fall. And then...and then the Sea Witch's Mark showed up in the sky. It was...absolutely terrifying."

Adam nodded numbly.

He thought they were going to fall into another awkward silence when she suddenly blurted out, "Do you remember why you fell off your broom? A ball didn't hit you, so I know for a fact it was something else,"

He was taken back by the question. During their small stretches of quiet, he thought of nothing _but_ what happened before he lost consciousness. Adam wasn't sure whether to tell her the truth, or make up some lie.

He looked back at her and realized he couldn't convince her with a lie: she was too perceptive, too smart to even _attempt_ such a feat.

Instead, he would try to dissuade her from finding out the truth anyways.

"You'll never believe me even if I told you," he smirked.

Belle laughed and scooted closer, her own mouth forming a smirk. "I'm a muggle in a world full of magic. There isn't a whole lot that can surprise me anymore," she explained.

He gave her a dubious look.

"Try me." she challenged.

Adam gave a humorless laugh and shook his head. Clearly, that plan wouldn't work.

"I heard something that no one else could hear," he explained. "The noise was loud and screeching, like a whistle, only more high-pitched. It...caused me a lot of pain, for some reason."

She nodded in understanding and empathy. He felt a weight lift off his chest. His shoulders relaxed and an easy smile grew on his face. She smiled back.

Adam slowly reached for her hand, when the click of heels sounded through the Hospital Wing. The two both turned in the direction of the sound and he snapped his hand back. He hoped that Belle didn't notice.

Madam Potts rounded the corner, her constant smile gracing her features.

"Oh good, you're awake, dear," she stated. Madam Potts moved closer to him and gave him a quick check up. "The Headmistress is on her way. I think she might want to talk to you alone."

Belle took that as her cue to leave. She made her goodbyes and left.

Adam was saddened by her leaving, which surprised him. He still barely knew Belle French, but it felt like she knew him fully and completely.

He heard another set of heels clicking and saw Headmistress Powers arrive. She stood at the foot of his bed, her hands resting on the frame and her gaze steely.

"Tell me everything that happened to you." she commanded.

* * *

Hans South-Isles sighed heavily, glaring at Flynn Rider and Naveen Maldonia. They were, once again, sitting along the shores of the Black Lake, beguiling a group of gullible girls with tales of their highly unrealistic and mostly true tales.

He has heard all of the stories: the true ones, the embellished ones and the untrue ones.

He never quite understood why they told people such folly. But Hans never did anything out of pleasure - no, it was always out of pure necessity. If it happened to bring him pleasure, then so be it. What with twelve older brothers, the young man learned that gathering power was the only way to get the attention he deserved.

A clammy hand rested on his shoulder. Hans looked up to see Professor Jafar looking down at him through narrow slits.

"Mr. South-Isles, I need to speak with you," he said. "Privately."

Hans stood up and followed the Potions Master.

When they were a considerable distance away from the other students, Jafar stopped and sharply turned to face the sixth year.

"I understand that you utterly _despise_ your twelve older brothers," Jafar began. "I taught most of them, in fact. But you, Hans, are by far the better of them. Lucky thirteen, I suppose," he chuckled.

Hans lifted an eyebrow, clearly dubious of the professor's intentions.

"May I ask what you want, professor?" he asked politely.

Jafar gave him an evil smirk. "I'm so glad you asked, dear boy,"

He took a step closer to the student, and bent his head slightly to meet his eyes.

"How would you like to become more powerful than all of your brothers combined?" he asked quietly.

Hans eyes widened. They quickly returned to their original size, but it was clear that Jafar had gained his full and undivided attention.

"How?"

The professor leaned closer until he was close to the young man's ear. He whispered the task the twins Flotsam and Jetsam told him, enticing Hans with his slithery, intriguing words. When he finished outlining the assignment, he pulled back to let the information sink in and to gauge the boy's reaction.

It didn't take long for Hans South-Isles to agree.

"I'll do it." Hans said firmly.

Jafar smiled. "Good," he patted his shoulder. "Give me a progress report in December. You have until then to come up with a plan and execute it. Do not fail me, Mr. South-Isles."

Hans nodded, bid his teacher goodbye, then turned around and left.

He walked back to Flynn and Naveen, who were sitting alone and chatting amongst themselves. They looked up when they heard him approach.

"Hey, what did Jafar want?" Flynn asked.

Hans shrugged and gave him a half smile. "Oh, nothing, just something about homework I turned in last week," he lied, sitting down next him.

Flynn and Naveen simply nodded and returned to their conversation.

Hans looked out at the Black Lake, trying to come up with some semblance of a plan. Nothing came to him immediately, so he decided to let his eyes and mind wander around.

To his pleasant surprise, he found Elsa Arendelle sitting with her little sister Anna and one of the Hufflepuff Beaters...Kristofer Iceberg or something like that.

His clever mind set to work on formulating a plan. He knew that Elsa would be next to impossible to get close to; she was well known for being quiet and closed-off, even when surrounded by friends or her sister.

_Her sister..._he thought to himself.

Anna Arendelle was very close to her sister. But unlike her sister, she was very open and rather loud. More of a social butterfly than Elsa to be certain.

He smiled to himself.

Hans knew _exactly_ how to get Elsa to use her ice powers.

* * *

"Alright, now let's focus on creating a flurry," Esmeralda said, sitting on top of her desk and carefully observed her student.

Elsa Arendelle nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. When she opened them, she removed her gloves, splayed her fingers and focused her ice magic.

Snowflakes flew from her fingertips, swirling in random shapes before disappearing entirely into the air.

Why couldn't she create a simple flurry? Large, ferocious icicles (and anything dealing with ice, if she was being completely honest with herself,) were no problem, but the simpler, softer forms of her natural born gift -no, _curse_ \- were difficult to conjure despite her best efforts.

As she tried again, she focused harder on creating the cloud of gently falling snow. But doubt and fear plauged her thoughts, which then caused tiny daggers of ice to form and penetrate the table in front of her.

Elsa let out a soft cry of despair and quickly pulled her gloves back on.

"I can't do this, Professor Djali!" she yelled. "It's too hard to control! I just...I can't do it," she added quietly.

Esmeralda smiled sadly at the girl. She hopped off the desk and slowly walked over to Elsa, placing comforting hands on her shoulders. She bent her head slightly until their eyes met.

"Your magic is powerful, that's for certain. But you cannot let that stop you! You've come so far already, Elsa, you just need to believe in yourself again," she explained softly. "I know it's difficult - I truly do - and that it might seem impossible, but you _can _and you _will _learn how to control your powers."

Elsa looked up at her teacher with sad, desperate eyes. She let out a shaky sigh before nodding.

Esmeralda smiled again and pulled her in for a quick embrace.

"We'll work on it again tomorrow. Go get some rest," she said.

Elsa quietly thanked her and left the North Tower.

As she walked, she tried not to let those terrible thoughts inside her head. But her father's mantra repeated over and over again in her head: _conceal, don't feel, don't let them show_. He meant well, however, after many lessons with Professor Djali, Elsa slowly came to realize that hiding her ice magic wasn't the best course of action. Yet, she continued to wear the gloves he gave her and hid her magic as much as she could; though it was difficult to do so when it came to some classes, which was how the whole school eventually found out.

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly in an effort to keep herself from falling apart, and to shield away the sudden chill that rushed through her.

_How long can I live like this? I can't control it, I can't feel it, _Elsa thought to herself. _I don't know what to do! I wish I could get rid of this...this curse! I wish I never had it!_

Despite all those negative feelings spinning inside her, she couldn't help but remember when she and her sister Anna were little girls. They would build snowmen, ice skate, make snow angels, slide down a steep hill of snow that Elsa would create. She never feared her magic then. But after she accidentally hit Anna with a small ice blast, she couldn't bear the thought of using it ever again.

Of course, the magic had other plans.

The harder she tried to hide it, the stronger it grew it, making it nearly impossible to reign in and control.

Elsa recalled her first year at Hogwarts, when she was forced to cast a spell without her gloves and nearly froze the whole school. It was at Professor Powers' insistence that she take private lessons to tame the swirling storm inside her. She had never met Professor Djali before then, and meeting her was both comforting and terrifying. With lots of practice and endless patience, Elsa was finally starting to have full command of her powers.

That is, unil tragedy struck last year. Her parents were travelling to Atlantis by underwater ship when it was attacked by a mysterious creature and sank.

She nearly lost all control of her ice magic.

Never had she felt more scared, lost and alone.

Elsa never wanted to feel that way again.

"Elsa! _ELSA!_" someone called out to her.

* * *

_**A/N:**_Just a reminder that if I haven't written in your favorite character(s)/couples, please let me know! There's a place for them in the story, and reminding me to write them in helps! If I can't quite place them in the main storyline, I will gladly write a little one-shot/snippet that at least loosely relates to the story.


	9. Hogsmeade

Three days after Adam was released from the Hospital Wing, he reached a decision he never thought he would make: he was going to ask Belle French out on a date.

The day he planned on asking her, he felt nervous. Adam wasn't sure why - he had asked out girls plenty of times before. Sure, they turned out to be boring or not all that interesting, which was a shame because they were very pretty.

But then, none of those girls could hold a candle to Belle. She was the exact opposite of his previous dates; while they were vain and rude, she was intelligent and kind.

It was a Friday, before the scheduled weekend in Hogsmeade. The school day was coming to an end, providing an ideal and near perfect opportunity to go look for Belle.

Adam was about to begin his search when he remembered that day he saw Gaston corner her.

There was no way that he was going to be anything like Gaston Hunt.

He walked down the hall, trying to figure out a less creepy and aggressive approach.

Somehow, that perfect moment arose after his last class.

The halls were crowded when he spotted her. As per usual, Belle had her nose stuck in a book. The corner of his mouth slightly lifted.

Adam made his way through the throng of people towards her, and his heart was beating faster with each step.

_Okay, this is getting ridiculous._he thought to himself. Adam mentally shook himself, trying to get rid of the nerves that suddenly overcame him.

It didn't take him very long to reach Belle, which suprised him. He took a quick look around and realized that the students had completely deserted the hallway, only to leave him alone with her.

Before he could change his mind, he cleared his throat and reached for her shoulder.

Belle jumped slightly at his touch. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Adam! It's nice to see you walking around again," she commented.

"Uh, yeah," he agreed lamely.

They were quiet for a moment, avoiding each other's eyes.

Belle interrupted the silence. "I should go now," she said.

She gave him a small smile, sidestepped him amd started to walk away.

"Wait," Adam said, gently grabbing her arm. Belle paused and turned around, her brown eyes cautiously gazed at him.

"I was wondering if...if you would like to have lunch with me in Hogsmeade on Saturday?" he asked.

He could feel her arm stiffen in surprise. She gave him a dubious look; she was clearly trying to see if he was playing a trick on her. Adam gazed back at her, willing for Belle to see that he was being genuine in his request.

Belle's face and body finally relaxed and she gave him another smile.

"I'd love to," she answered.

Adam smiled in relief. "How about we meet at Madam Bleu's at noon?"

Belle nodded, promising to meet him then, made her goodbyes and left.

Adam followed after her with his eyes, his smile growing bigger.

"That Hunt boy is going to be _very_ put-out with you when he finds out!" a mischievous voice said.

Adam whipped around and saw Peeves floating in the air behind him. The poltergeist looked like he was lounging, his evil little grin lighting up his face.

"Why don't you go bother Iago," Adam snapped.

Peeves giggled. "I've already had my fill of him," he swooped down until he was nose to nose with the Slytherin boy. "I haven't played with any of the students in while. I think you'll be my first."

Adam's eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched together. A low threatening growl rumbled in his chest.

Peeves' eyes widened in fear. He mumbled an apology and disappeared immediately.

Adam shook his head. He looked down at his hands, which were vibrating violently. He took a few deep, calming breaths.

When he was sure that his body became virtually immobile, he headed for the Slytherin common room.

* * *

Belle walked to the library, nibbling on her lower lip and contemplated the strange occurrence she had moments earlier.

Adam de la Bête asked her out on a date.

At first, she thought he was trying to play a cruel prank on her. But when she looked into his cool blue eyes, she saw the sincerity - or was it desperation? - in them, she knew that there was no trick.

She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a little surprised. Except for those brief, uncontrollable circumstances they would find themselves in, Adam made a great effort to avoid her.

Although she wasn't entirely certain, Belle felt that something..._changed _between them after the Quidditch match.

"Um, Belle? Beeeeellllllllllleeeeeeeee..._Belle!_"

Belle snapped back to attention, finding herself in the library, and seeing Jasmine's fingers in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have zoned out," she apologized.

"Mhmm," Jasmine hummed, giving her a knowing look.

Belle ignored it and went straight to their lesson.

After an hour and a half's worth of studying, the two girls decided to take a break. Jasmine pushed her books away before leaning back in her chair and gazing at her tutor.

"If you don't mind my asking, but why were you so spacey earlier?" Jasmine wondered.

Belle was hesitant to answer initially. While she and Jasmine got along very well, they were by no means friends - at least, that's what Belle thought Jasmine believed. But then she realized that Jasmine was probably the best person to talk about Adam because she knew him better than her own friends, who were fiercely prejudiced against him.

Belle gave the other girl a sideways glance before answering.

"Well, while I was walking to the library, I ran into Adam de la Bête and he...he asked me out," she said.

Jasmine's eyes widened in surprise, which Belle could understand. Then she smiled.

"That's wonderful!" she gushed. "I think you would be very good for Adam,"

Belle was shocked. "What makes you say that?"

"As I'm sure you know, Adam is well known for being - to put it nicely - _self-centered_. He usually dates only the truly physically beautiful girls, the ones who are as good-looking as him. But you...well, let's just say you're _very _different from them," she explained. "Which is great. It means he's changing."

Jasmine looked over at Belle, who lifted an eyebrow, her face clearly showing how skeptical she was. Jasmine sighed and gave her a small smile.

"For as long as I have known him, he was like a spoiled little boy. And while it could be that Adam has finally realized he's going to have to act like an adult wizard _very_ soon, I think he's actually starting to grow up."

"So, what you're saying is...by dating me, he's growing up?" Belle asked.

Jasmine chuckled. "I suppose so. You're probably one of the most mature and responsible people I've ever known," she put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise you it's a good thing, no matter what anyone says."

Belle smiled. She glanced at her watch.

"I think we should get back to work," she suggested.

Jasmine nodded and pulled back the books. The two hunched over the tomes and spent the rest of the afternoon studying.

* * *

Jasmine made her goodbyes to Belle, wishing her luck on her date with Adam the next day, and walked back to the Slytherin common room.

The room was empty, or so she thought until she saw someone rise from one of the black winged chairs with their back turned to her. She jumped and yelped in surprise. The person turned to reveal it was Adam. Jasmine let out a sigh of relief.

"Adam, you scared me," she admitted.

Adam mumbled an apology.

Jasmine was about to leave when he asked, "What do you know about Belle?"

She paused, surprised by the question. Jasmine stared at him before answering.

"You know, the whole point of a first date is getting to know someone," she said. "However, I will tell you this: she's a sweet girl who's a lot smarter than you or me. If you hurt her, in any way, I'll make your life _miserable._"

Jasmine have him a hard look, said good night and left him standing there bewildered.

Adam was taken aback. His simple, seemingly innocent question was met with malice. But upon further reflection, he consented that his dating track record wasn't the most respectable, so he could empathize with Jasmine's feelings.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Somehow, things were getting complicated with Belle before they even began.

* * *

Adam walked down the High Street, trying and failing not to look anxious. He kept running his fingers through his hair and readjusting his jacket. He told himself it was because it was windy, but he knew that wasn't entirely true.

He turned to the side street where Madam Bleu's Tea Shop was nestled in. Though quaint and cozy, especially for his purposes, Adam always felt that the tea shop was a little too _blue_.

Adam stood in front of the shop, once again trying not to look anxious as he waited for Belle to arrive. He continued to fidget, though on a less obvious scale.

He looked around, barely acknowledging the couples walking into the café.

Finally, he saw Belle walk towards him. She smiled when she saw him. As she was still far away, Adam took a brief moment to admire her.

Belle had her hair down instead of in its customary ponytail. She wore a light blue dress that reached just above her knees and a dark blue coat that reached past the dress' hem. She also wore white knee high socks and short black boots that made her slightly taller.

Belle stopped in front of him, her smile still on her face. Adam returned the smile.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hi," he repeated.

Adam motioned to the café. "Are you ready to go in?" he asked.

She nodded. He opened the door and indicated for her to walk ahead. She thanked him as he followed after her.

They were bombarded by annoyingly loving couples and thousands of shades of blue.

Adam suppressed a grimace.

_What was I thinking?_ he thought.

They found a table. Adam helped Belle out of her jacket and pulled a chair out for her. She thanked him again and settled into her seat. He took off his jacket and sat across from her. Belle giggled.

"What?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"It's just...aren't you just a _little_ overdressed for a lunch date?" Belle nodded to his attire.

Adam looked down at his attire. He wore a white high stand collard dress shirt, a dark purple double-breasted vest and black trousers. It was what he typically wore outside of his school uniform.

"I wear this everyday at home," Adam tried to explain.

Belle giggled again and told him she understood.

She looked around and tugged at the long sleeves of her dress. She appeared to be just as nervous as him.

They slowly started a conversation, talking about the safest topic they could think of: school. It was boring, and they both knew it, so they eventually stopped. Despite all the noise surrounding them, Adam and Belle were entirely silent.

"Has it always been so...so..._blue_ here?" she wondered aloud.

He laughed loudly, which surprised both him and some of the other patrons.

"It has been ever since I started visiting Hogsmeade. The owner, Madam Bleu, happens to love the color," he answered. Adam gazed at her steadily. "Haven't you ever been here before?"

Belle blushed and shook her head. "No. There was never a reason to,"

Adam nodded and they fell quiet again.

He imagined Gaston had tried to coax her many times to share tea with him in the tiny little hub. It was where the two of them had many dates with many other girls. Adam shook his head. There was no need to think about those times - Belle deserved every ounce of his attention.

The atmosphere was stifling; there was no way they would be able to get past the awkwardness that constantly surrounded them in the tea shop.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he suggested.

Belle smiled brighter than she ever did before.

"I would love to,"

They stood up, pulled their coats back on and escaped out the door.

Adam and Belle walked into the crisp, cold air of autumn. They walked towards the High Street, trying again to start up a conversation. It was easier this time, without the pressures of the cramped couple's haven. They walked a foot apart from each other

They eventually walked out of the village towards the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted building in Great Britain.

Belle repressed a smile when she realized where they were walking. For two years, the Shrieking Shack was her favorite place to visit. Her friends thought it was a little strange, but they reasoned it was because she wasn't raised in the wizarding world, and therefore thought everything was a commodity.

The air became colder. Belle shivered and started to button up her coat. She heard Adam move a little bit closer and felt his body heat.

They stopped at the fence leading to the shack. Belle leaned against the railing and stared intently at the old building. Adam mirrored her movements, but occasionally he stared at her.

"Do you know how the Shrieking Shack came to be?" Adam asked suddenly.

"I've heard many different stories. Most of them are pretty gruesome," Belle replied.

She turned her gaze away from the shack to look at him.

"What stories have you heard?" she asked.

Adam went quiet and kept his eyes on the shack. Suddenly, he spoke again.

"There was a man who lived there once," he said. "He was a nice, normal wizard, but kept mostly to himself. One night, on a full moon, he was attacked by a werewolf. As I'm sure you already know, when a person is bitten by a werewolf, they too become one. It's a painful process. The body changes it's form entirely, from man to wolf.

The man quickly realized what was happening to him and boarded up his shack. On the next full moon he changed. When his transformation was complete, he thirsted for blood. But because he isolated himself, he had no choice but to bite and scratch at himself. People could hear his screams for miles and miles."

He returned his gaze back to Belle.

"And that's how the Shrieking Shack earned its name," he concluded. "Or so I have heard, anyway."

Belle stared at him, wide-eyed and slightly frightened.

It wasn't the story itself that scared her; it was the way he told the tale.

He spoke as if that had happened to him.

She shivered again. Belle wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly, she felt something warm cover her shoulders. She looked down to see Adam's black coat on her, then looked back up at Adam.

"Come on, it's getting late and we probably have to return to the school now," he said.

"Right," Belle said and she fell into step with him.

As they reached the edge of Hogsmeade, Belle stopped and pulled on his arm. Adam stopped as well, and looked down at her in confusion.

"Thank you. For today, I mean," she said. "I really enjoyed myself...and you,"

Adam smiled widely.

"So did I."

* * *

Belle stood in a corridor and stared out the window. The sun had already set and the sky was slowly becoming darker. She saw the moon start to rise as well.

Belle couldn't stop thinking about Adam. He was absolutely fascinating - far more than meets the eye, she thought. Although he was definitely closed off and aggressive, there was a certain gentleness to him, one that she was sure very few people saw, or even bothered to look for. But he was still mysterious and rigid, and Belle knew it would take time for him to completely open up.

She only hoped she could be brave enough to handle it.

The story Adam told her today, it felt so..._personal_. As if he was speaking about himself, not some local legend.

The sky was almost completely black except for the full moon.

Belle knew that she had to return to the common room, so she reluctantly started to pull herself away when she saw a shadow sprint across the grounds.

Her curiosity overwhelmed Belle, so, rather uncharacteristically, she decided to follow the shadow.

Belle saw it head in the direction of the Whomping Willow. She went that way as well, before remembering that the Willow wasn't exactly docile.

She was starting to rethink her rash decision when a loud _caw_ sounded from behind her. She turned and saw Malinda Ficient's crow Diaval fly over her. He flew straight below the branches and aimed for a knot in its trunk. The crow pecked at it, and the Willow froze completely.

Diaval looked at Belle and cawed again before flying away.

Belle hesitated for a moment, then ran straight to it. She immediately saw the outline to a trapdoor. She searched around for a way to open it, found one, and pulled it open. Belle entered the trapdoor.

The door dropped close behind her, leaving her in complete darkness.

Belle pulled out her wand and whispered, "_Lumos._"

The wand lit up and illuminated the tunnel. Belle gulped and started to go down the tunnel.

The tunnel was narrow and cold. She couldn't help but shiver.

She thought the tunnel was never going to end until she saw another trapdoor.

Again, Belle hesitated.

_Well, I've gone this far. There's no point turning back now._ she thought to herself.

Belle pushed against the door. It opened slowly, creaking on its hinges. She let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding in before stepping through the door.

She walked into a dusty, torn up room. Chairs and tables were strewn around, ripped up curtains covered the boarded up windows.

Her breath came out in wispy smoke. Belle shivered again, but continued walking.

There was an open alcove that led her straight to another room, even more ruined than the one she just entered. The wooden floorboards creaked and moaned with every step she made.

Belle stopped moving to look around.

The floorboards creaked again, this time louder. There was also a low rumble, like a growl.

Directly behind her.

Belle's heart beat faster as she slowly turned around.

As soon as she made a complete 180, the floorboards creaked again, once more sounding from behind her.

Belle turned around quickly, only to be thrown onto the ground.

She gasped for air and closed her eyes. She felt pressure on her chest and hot breath on her face.

Ever so slowly, Belle opened her eyes.

Right in front of her was the guant, hungry face of a wolf.

_A werewolf._

Belle opened her mouth to scream when she looked into his eyes.

They looked angry, hungry and..._familiar._

Somehow, she knew who the werewolf was.

"Adam?"

* * *

_**A/N:**_CLIFF HANGER! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Don't forget to let me know about any characters you want to see! You can also prompt said characters if you have an idea in mind.


	10. Secrets Revealed

The werewolf widened its eyes in recognition, and whimpered.

"Adam." Belle repeated with more certainty.

It whimpered again and took its weight off of her chest. It retreated to a corner. It hunched its body away from Belle, clearly ashamed by what had transpired.

Belle slowly sat up and carefully watched the creature in front of her. She wasn't sure what to do, but decided that best thing for her to do was to just sit very still and keep her wand in hand.

Except her wand was tossed to the other side of the room when she fell.

_Of course..._ she thought grimly.

Belle continued to watch the werewolf and tried to keep still.

She thought about the look in its (_Adam, _she reminded herself) eyes. They looked so...human. Human, sad and confused. He also seemed to have recognized her.

_He must have taken the Wolfsbane potion if he remembers who I am._

Hours seemed to have gone by. Belle could feel her body cramp up from staying in the same position for so long. She attempted to distract herself by fully taking in the sight in front of her.

Adam had dark brown fur, though it looked black at first glance. It was short and ragged, in some places there were patches of very little to no fur. There were also hints of dried blood.

Belle shivered at the thought of how those patches came to be, as well as at the sudden drop in temperature. She immediately regretted the action. Adam growled in warning as he finally turned himself around to look at her, staring at her with a hungry glare.

She couldn't help but stare back at him, observe him.

His snout was short compared to other wolves, which she knew was attributed to being a werewolf. He bared his teeth, and she stifled a startled gasp.

Adam stepped closer until he was nearly nose to nose with her. He kept snarling though Belle didn't dare move or make another sound.

He sniffed her, then that same look of recognition showed up again in his eyes and he quickly retreated, whimpering.

Belle's heart quickened its pace. The urge to flee was strong, despite the danger that would follow such a hasty decision.

She risked a few deep, calming breaths, afraid that he would attack her, but Adam ignored her. He seemed very upset with himself.

She quickly glanced at her wand, still laying on the other side of the room. Belle looked back at him.

He hadn't moved at all.

Belle slowly edged towards her wand, her eyes glued to the werewolf. She froze every time he shifted his position, only to have him continue to ignore her.

Finally, she was close to her wand. She carefully inched her fingers until she felt the familiar rosewood on her fingertips. As quietly as she could, she rolled it into her palm and held it tight.

Another creak in the floorboards warned her that Adam was stalking towards her again. Belle tightened her grip on her wand as he grew closer.

He sat down in front of her and gazed at her steadily. He made no indication as to whether he would attack or not.

The mere thought of an attack had Belle break into a cold sweat.

Adam started to whine. He stepped away, then collapsed to the floor and started to wither in pain.

Belle could only look on in a strange mixture of concern and horror. She was completely frozen, at a total loss at what to do.

He shook and thrashed as his once long limbs started to collapse onto themselves. His face shortened until he started to resemble that of a human one. He cried out, his voice changing from a wolf's to a man's.

Before she knew it, Adam had completely transformed from beast to man.

Adam was shivering violently, clutching at the ground, and stared out with wide eyes

Belle quickly realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes.

"Belle..." Adam rasped. She jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly recovered and crawled over to him. She knelt beside him and glanced at his face.

"Yes, I'm here," she whispered.

"Get...get my...get my clothes," he asked.

"W-where are they?" she frantically looked around for some item of clothing, carefully avoiding his form.

"N-next room..."

Belle bit her lip, then raised her wand towards the open door leading into the next room.

"_Accio _clothes!"

In an instant, a shirt and a pair of pants flew straight at Belle. As they got closer, they slowed and landed gently on her lap.

"Um, here you go," Belle picked up the clothes and held out her arms. "Do...do you need help putting them on?" she asked hesitantly.

Adam mumbled a "no" and reached for his clothes. Belle handed them to him ungracefully and quickly turned away.

She heard the rustle of cloth and the ever-present creaking of the floor as he pulled on his clothes.

Belle was busy playing with her fingers and staring at the wall when she saw a pair of trouser clad legs and bare feet stand before her. Belle looked up to see Adam, exhausted and worn, reach a hand out to her. She gently placed her hand in his before being hefted off of the ground. She gave a small gasp of surprise, then quickly thanked him and righted herself.

It was quiet between them, though they both stared at each other, gauging each other's reaction.

"Are you alright?" Adam wondered.

The question surprised Belle. Shouldn't _she _be the one asking _him _that question?

"I'm fine. Really, I am," she insisted. "What about you?"

He heaved a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his mussed hair. "Honestly, I've been far worse,"

Belle nodded and looked at her hands.

Adam put the heel of his hand under her chin, lifted it and therefore forced Belle to look at him.

"Belle, I'm so sorry that I frightened you." he apologized.

Her eyes started to water.

His face was both sincere and morose.

She tried to put on a brave face, for his sake if not for her own, before she finally broke down and cried. Her hands flew to her face and she wept into them, her body shaking with the sheer force of her sobs and the loss of her adrenaline.

He was unsure what to do. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Belle apparently took it as permission to wrap her arms around his waist and cry into his chest.

Adam stiffened for a moment, looking down at her with pure confusion.

He could barely fathom why she would seek comfort from _him_ of all people.

He caused her fear.

She should be hitting and screaming at him, or at least run away.

Not hold on to him so tightly like he was the only solid, comforting thing in the world.

Without realizing it, Adam gently wrapped his arms around her head and shoulders.

His embrace relaxed Belle. She could feel her body start to calm and her sobs began to subside.

Soon she was sniffling, with her head rested on his chest and her hands still holding the back of his shirt.

"Are you ready to return to the school?" Adam whispered.

Belle nodded.

She pulled away from him and headed for the passage back to the Whomping Willow.

Adam followed right behind her, trying to maintain a safe and comfortable distance.

* * *

The sun was starting to rise as they traveled across the lawn to the castle.

Adam walked Belle to the Ravenclaw Tower. He had his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. She was still in shock, so she continued to shiver.

They were halfway to the Ravenclaw common room when Belle asked to stop and sit down. Adam found a bench and led her to it. They sat down together, with Belle scooting closer to his side.

Adam stiffened slightly. He couldn't believe that Belle was still seeking comfort from him, of all people.

He scared her, nearly hurt and killed her.

Why would she want to have anything to do with him?

"Adam?" Belle said quietly.

He looked down at her. "Yes?" he said.

"How long have you been a werewolf?" she asked.

Adam fell silent. He never told anyone what happened. Professor Powers simply guessed and went from there. Forte only knew what he and Powers told him, which was just his lycanthropy.

"That's a story for another time," he finally answered. "Right now, you need to rest. Let's get you back to your common room."

Belle looked up at him, searching his face skeptically. Realizing that she wasn't going to have her questions answered today, she finally nodded and started to stand up.

Adam stood up with her and guided her to Ravenclaw Tower. He waited for her to answer the bronze eagle's riddle before he reluctantly let her go.

She lingered in the doorway, looking over her shoulder.

"When can I see you again?" Belle asked.

Adam was quiet for a moment, unsure whether to answer, until an idea struck him.

"Meet me at the Clock Tower tonight. I'll tell you everything then," he replied.

Belle nodded and walked into the common room.

Adam turned and walked away, and headed for Professor Powers' office.

* * *

Rapunzel sighed, and rested her chin on her hand. She sat cross-legged in the grass near the Black Lake.

Belle had returned to the common room very early that morning. She avoided everyone, but when pushed she said that she was helping the librarian Madam Pan-Darling with cataloging some new books.

She looked tired, but not from reading all night. That was a sight everyone in the common room was used to from Belle. Instead, her whole being was in complete disarray; her eyes were wide in shock and fear, like she saw a ghost.

No, not a ghost. A poltergeist like Peeves, maybe, who thoroughly enjoys scaring students.

But that couldn't be it. Peeves was mischievous, but not exactly a monster that would cause Belle to look all freaked out and stuff.

So what happened to Belle that caused her to be out all night?

She sighed again.

"Hey, Goldie, what's wrong?" a familiar voice asked.

Rapunzel looked up and gave Flynn Rider a half-smile.

"Nothing..." she answered vaguely.

Flynn sat down next to her and ruffled her hair. She slapped his hand away while keeping her eyes on the lake in an attempt to ignore him.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Rapunzel glanced at him and bit her lower lip. She looked away before she could start pouring her heart out.

"I'm a very patient guy, you know," he reminded her. "You're going to have to tell me at some point, I know you too well."

She grimaced and risked another glance. He gave her a blank, patient look, clearly waiting for the inevitable. They stared at each other for a long time, neither one willing to leave.

Finally, her resolve broke.

Rapunzel recounted everything that happened that morning: Belle sneaking in, Rapunzel asking her what happened; their quiet confrontation, Belle insisting it was nothing and going to bed.

The whole story was practically said in one breath. When she finished, Rapunzel felt like she had just run a marathon.

"Huh. That is odd," Flynn said. "I mean, I know Belle is one to get absorbed in books, but I don't think she'd break any school rules just to help out Madam Pan-Darling,"

"I know, right? And it's not like the ghosts are really all that scary. Peeves is sort of scary, but he's more of a cruel jokester than anything," she agreed.

They were quiet for a while. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"You know...she had a date with Adam de la Bête yesterday. Do you think he had something to do with last night?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

Flynn tapped his chin as he thought about it, then he shrugged.

"I don't think so, honestly. I mean, Adam sneaks out of the common room sometimes, but I know for an indisputable fact that he doesn't take girls with him on his nightly excursions. He likes to keep to himself," he replied.

Rapunzel nodded, but she still looked worried.

Flynn sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and threw his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him with a confused glint in her eyes.

"I know you're worried about Belle. It just means that you're a good friend, and I'm sure she appreciates it," he reassured her. "And despite everything people say about Adam, he isn't as awful as he seems."

Rapunzel smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Thanks, Flynn," she said.

Flynn smirked and returned her embrace. "Anytime, Goldie,"

She released her hold around him, stood up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to go check on Belle. I'll see you later!" she said.

Rapunzel waved goodbye and walked away. Flynn gave a two finger salute as he watched her go farther away.

* * *

After dinner, Belle rushed to the Clock Tower entrance. She stood under the entryway and waited in anticipation for Adam.

To say she was surprised that he agreed to tell her how long he has been a werewolf would have been an understatement. She thought he would tell her to forget everything she saw last night, and to never, under any circumstances, speak to him again. It would have saddened Belle, because she truly enjoyed his company and learning more about him.

Belle heard footsteps echoing behind her. She turned to see Adam walking towards her. She gave him a hesitant smile as he approached.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," he replied.

Adam reached for her hand and indicated to the Clock Tower. "Let's go upstairs," he said.

Belle nodded and squeezed his hand as he pulled her to the set of stairs to the left of them, leading her to the clock's bells.

When they reached the landing, Adam released her hand and walked to the far side of the room, his back facing her. Belle was a little surprised by the action, but realized that he might be nervous about sharing _very_ personal information with her.

He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He turned around and looked Belle straight in the eye.

"Before I begin, I want you to know that I have never told _anyone _about this. All the teachers know about my...affliction, but they don't know how it happened - not even my guardian Forte," Adam began.

Belle gave a single, understanding nod. Adam returned the nod before speaking again.

"Up until six years ago, I was a regular boy. It was my first year at Hogwarts, I had both of my parents, and anything and everything I could ever ask for. At that time I was even more vain and cruel than I am now, if you can believe it,"

He gave a self-deprecating laugh before continuing.

"Anyways...it was Christmas break. I was home, of course, to celebrate the holidays with my family. On Christmas Eve, there was a full moon. We had just finished dinner when..._they_ attacked,"

He paused, quietly gauging her reaction.

She was afraid to hear more, but at the same time she desperately wanted him to tell her everything.

So she urged him to continue on. She took a step closer to him.

"'They'?" Belle asked quietly.

Adam's blue eyes darkened. "The werewolf pack," he answered. "They knew how rich and powerful my family is - _was_ \- and they wanted to prove that they could destroy us. Which the pack did. They killed my entire family right in front of me. There...there was so much _blood_, it was..._everywhere_...I thought for sure the werewolves would kill me in a similar manner. Except, their leader stopped them. Instead, he...he...he _tortured_me until I was practically _begging _for him to just kill me and end the pain entirely. Obviously, he didn't. Rather than putting me out of my misery, that..._monster_ bit me and passed on his curse to me."

Her eyes widened as he told his dark tale. She could hardly believe that anything so horrifying could ever occur, let alone to the handsome boy in front of her.

"After he was finished with me, the pack left. My house-elf, Cogsworth, managed to have escape on my mother's orders. He returned the next morning because of me, the only living member of the family he is forever bound to serve. Cogsworth took me to Professor Powers. She healed me, but it was too late to stop the lycanthropy from taking over my body.

Despite her warnings, I returned to school. She was worried about me, and informed all the teachers to keep a close eye on me. Madam Potts would come with me to the Shrieking Shack every full moon, until about a year ago when I insisted that I go on my own from then on."

He fell silent for a moment, taking the time to observe her and regard her reaction.

"So, Belle, to answer your initial queation, I have been a werewolf for six years, as I mentioned earlier." Adam finally concluded.

Belle could feel the stream of tears flow from her eyes, but she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Without warning she ran to Adam and wrapped her arms around him tightly. As she did the night before, Belle cried into his chest and left him completely bewildered.

"A-Adam, I-I'm so...I'm so _sorry_ that that ha-happened to you!" she sobbed.

She felt him stiffen in her arms, then an unsure hand rested on the top of her head.

"Ah, it's alright, Belle. Like I said, there really wasn't anything anyone could have done. It's no one's fault...well, except the werewolf, but who knows where he is now," Adam tried to reassure her.

Belle surprised them both when she let out a breathy laugh. She pulled away from him, wiped the tears from her face and looked up at him. He looked down at her strangely. His gaze made her cheeks grow warm, her heart flutter and her stomach flip.

"What?" she asked.

Adam shook his head. "Nothing, except..." he trailed off.

"Except what?" she prompted.

"I don't think _anyone_ has ever cried for me before. I mean, I know _I _have made girls cry _because _of me, but not_ for _me," he answered. "It's...strange."

Belle smiled and hugged him again.

"That's what friends are for," she whispered. "So you better get used to it."

Adam laughed as he returned her hug.

They held onto each other for a long time, with only the soft rhythms of their breathing and swinging pendulum of the clock filled the landing with noise.

Adam couldn't believe what had transpired. He thought for sure that Belle would run away after he told his story, telling him to never speak to her again. Instead, she did the opposite of what he expected. She cried and went to him to..._comfort_ him. She told him how sorry she was, even though Belle had nothing to do with what happened when he was eleven. And then she called herself his _friend_. Adam felt more than friendship at that moment, but he quietly accepted that that was all he was going to receive from Belle.

Surprisingly, it was more than enough for him. Perhaps what he needed was a friend - a real, true friend.


	11. Hogsmeade Revisited

**_A/N:_ **Just so we're all clear: this chapter is sort of a throwback, focusing on the events of Chapter Nine and Chapter Ten through other characters' eyes. If you're confused at all, that's probably why.

* * *

Aurora Briar stretched and moaned as she and Phillip Drake walked down the High Street in Hogsmeade. The fall day was unusually cold, making Aurora shiver.

"Ugh, it's too early and too cold to be here," she grumbled.

Phillip laughed as he pulled her closer to his side. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm in an effort to warm her.

"Let's get you a coffee, then," he suggested.

Aurora smiled and glanced up at him apologetically. "That would be lovely,"

Phillip returned her smile and guided them to the side street leading to Madam Bleu's.

They walked into the tiny blue café and instantly warmed up. Phillip walked straight up to Madam Bleu and asked for one coffee to go.

As they waited, Aurora glanced around the room, rolling her eyes at the obnoxious couples acting all lovey-dovey with each other. She remembered the way she and Phillip acted when they first started dating. Aurora shivered again at the memory. She wrapped her hands around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

As she looked around the room again, she caught sight of her friend and housemate Belle French sitting across from the last person she could imagine her being with.

Aurora tugged on Phillip's shirt sleeve and indicated to the couple sitting at the window.

"Is that Belle and Adam de la Bête on a _date_?" she asked.

Phillip looked where she pointed and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, it looks like it," he replied.

Madam Bleu appeared and shoved a cup into his hand. Phillip handed Aurora the cup and the two headed for the door.

When they were once again out in the crisp cold air, Aurora pulled them in the direction of the High Street.

"I can't believe she's with _him!_" she exclaimed suddenly.

Phillip lifted an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because Adam is...well, Adam!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"_Yes!_"

Phillip sighed. "You know, he wasn't always like that. Being rude and such, I mean,"

Aurora stopped in her tracks and turned sharply to look at him.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"Well...I grew up with him. Before we both attended Hogwarts, our parents would have meetings with each other and we were dragged along," he explained. "We would play with each other. He was always a bit of selfish brat, but when you got him alone, Adam really wasn't all that bad. It was just the year his parents died I think he got progressively worse."

"Oh," was all Aurora could utter.

"It doesn't excuse his behaviour for the past six years," Phillip reassured her.

Aurora smiled and stepped closer until they were chest to chest, with only the coffee cup in between them.

"Naturally," she agreed.

Phillip wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tightly.

"Of course, growing up with him wasn't like growing up with you," he said quietly.

She giggled, "I would hope so. Adam and I are _very_ different,"

He leaned in closer until their noses touched.

"Very much so," he whispered.

Aurora closed her eyes and started to rise on her toes.

"Oi, get a room!" Merida Dunbroch shouted.

Aurora yelped in surprise, effectively knocking the still-hot coffee cup out of her hand, with the liquid spilling all over Philip's shirt.

Merida howled in laughter, clutching her sides and her tears watering. Aladdin Ali, Ariel Finn and Eric Castle joined her not long after, though they didn't laugh quite as hard.

Phillip looked down at his stained white shirt, then looked back up at Merida and glared.

"Merida, remind me to take ten points from Gryffindor," Phillip announced.

Merida immediately stopped laughing and glared right back. "What for?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"For inappropriate and unnecessary yelling," he answered.

She stomped away, muttering angrily under her breath.

Aladdin, Ariel and Eric gave him an apologetic look and turned to catch up to the angry red-head.

As the group left, Phillip and Aurora looked at each other.

"Well, that was...uncomfortable," she said after a moment.

"It certainly was," he agreed.

Aurora gently wrapped her fingers around his arm and pulled him in the direction of the village.

"Come on, let's go get you a clean shirt," she said.

* * *

"Phillip is just so..._ugh!_" Merida groaned as she sat in the Three Broomsticks with Aladdin, Ariel and Eric.

The three glanced at each other then looked back at their angry friend.

"Well, you _did_ cause Aurora to drop hot coffee all over Phillip's shirt," Eric pointed out.

"Maybe if she wasn't such a sleeping beauty she wouldn't even _need_ hot coffee," Merida retorted sharply.

Aladdin lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Ariel reached for her hand and gently squeezed it.

"What's wrong, Merida?" she asked quietly. "Why are you acting like this?"

Merida snapped her hand away, crossing her arms as if to ward off anymore questions, and looked away. Her friends once again glanced at each other worriedly.

After a tense moment of silence, she finally relaxed and faced her friends with a slight grimace.

"My mum sent me a Howler this morning," she said.

Her friends went still as their eyes widened in shock.

"What did she say?" Aladdin wondered.

Merida slumped in her chair and groaned again. "Oh, you know, the usual: take care of my brothers, improve my grades, don't waste too much time on Quidditch," she answered. "It's the fifth Howler I've gotten in two months. It's like my mum wants me to _not_ have a life,"

Ariel nodded emphatically. "I know how you feel. My father and older sisters _always_ send me letters about my responsibilities. I'm sixteen years old now! It's not like I'm a child or anything,"

Merida, Aladdin and Eric exchanged skeptical looks but kept silent anyways. They cared for Ariel, they really did, and while she has many good qualities about her, sometimes she doesn't _always_ make the wisest decisions.

"Well, how are your grades?" Eric directed the question at Merida in an effort to return to the subject.

"They're fine," she replied. "Well, except for Potions. But Jafar is a right bloody jerk, so I can't be too upset with my grades in that class,"

"Yeah, same here. But it's like he doesn't want me, specifically, to pass his class," Aladdin added.

They started to collectively complain about Jafar and other teachers. The conversation somehow moved onto the Quidditch match last weekend.

"That was weird, right?" Aladdin said.

"More like downright scary," Ariel shivered. She scooted closer to Eric, who threw a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Merida downed the rest of her butterbeer, thinking about that day.

"I wonder how her Mark got there?" she asked.

Ariel shivered again, adamantly insisting that she doesn't want to know, let alone continue thinking about it. Eric suggested that they go outside and walk around the village, which she agreed to immediately. They stood up and said their goodbyes to Aladdin and Merida.

Aladdin finished his butterbeer and started to stand. "I'm going to go to Honeydukes, wanna join me?"

Merida shook her head.

"I'd like to be by myself for a while, thanks. I'll catch up with you later?" she replied.

Aladdin nodded and waved before leaving the tavern. Merida half-heartedly returned the wave before getting lost in her thoughts.

* * *

Jane looked at the empty space to her right and sighed. Belle skipped lunch and was refusing to talk with her, which left a big, gaping hole both beside her and in her heart.

When Adam had asked Belle out on a date, Jane was suspicious of his intentions, but had begrudingly allowed her friend to do whatever she wanted.

When Belle had disappeared last night, she was worried.

When she reappeared hours later, just past dawn, she was angry at her. Jane thought Belle sneaked off to be with Adam, and because of her own suspcions and the rumors about Adam, she searched for injuries on Belle's body.

When Belle refused to tell her what happened, both with Adam and last night, despite the fear she saw in her eyes, Jane became worried again.

That worry gnawed at her again, and it made her feel sick.

She had quickly lost her appetite, and pushed her food away. Jane stood up and left the Great Hall.

She rushed through the corridors until she found an empty courtyard. She sat on a nearby stone bench, brought her knees up to her chest and started to cry.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder, which caused her to jump in surprise. Jane turned to see that Tarzan was standing behind her. His brown eyes shone with concern.

He sat down next to Jane and pulled her close to his side. She continued to cry and Tarzan remained silent, simply holding her.

When Jane's tears turned into the occasional sniffle, she rested her head on Tarzan's shoulder and let out a shaky breath.

"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" she croaked.

He shook his head. "No. I figured you would tell me on your own," he replied.

Jane bit her lip, knowing he was right. Tarzan never asked her about her problems, because eventually she would tell him and he would quietly listen. Sometimes he would even offer advice or words of comfort, but mostly he would nod in understanding and give some small gesture like a pat on the shoulder or a hug.

"It's about Belle. She disappeared last night, and with that whole 'Sea Witch returning to destroy the whole world' thing going on, I was really worried about her. Then she came back early this morning and blatantly _lied_ about where she had been, and...we argued. We _never_ argue," she said finally. "I know she had that date with Adam de la Bête and she was really happy about it, but I don't know if he's good for her. Not only that -"

Tarzan placed his fingers on her mouth, effectively silencing her. Jane glared and was ready to muffle angrily at him when he said, "You two are friends. When Belle's ready to tell you about what happened last night, she will. Trust her, and she'll trust you."

Jane stilled. He was right. He was absolutely, positively _right_. Belle is and always will be her friend; when she's ready to talk to her, she will because she _trusts_ Jane. So Jane simply had to return to favor and trust her too.

She nodded in understanding, and Tarzan removed his fingers. He stood up and gave her his hand.

"Let's walk around for a little while," he suggested.

Jane smiled and took his hand. He helped her up, pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he grabbed her hand again and led them out of the empty courtyard.

* * *

**_A/N:_**I'm sorry it's so short! I lost motivation while writing this chapter. My goal is to write and post two more chapters before I leave on vacation. Don't forget to let me know which characters you want to see!


	12. Some More Revelations

{One week later}

"Only twenty days 'till Christmas break!" Anna exclaimed happily, throwing her hands above her head.

Ella and Snow exchanged amused looks. The three girls were walking from their Divination class to lunch. The halls were crowded, prompting a few stares from the students passing by during Anna's declaration. She simply ignored the stares, feeling too elated to give them much thought.

"Only you would loudly count down the days until our holiday break," Ella observed.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon! How could you _not_ be excited for a break! Especially Christmas," she retorted.

Snow giggled and shook her head. Her friend has always been a bit odd, even by wizarding standards. Anna had a strange sense of humor, abnormal physical strength, and was the clumsiest person Snow had ever met. But she was sweet and kind.

As they neared the library, Anna stopped suddenly and slapped her forehead. Ella and Snow, who were slightly ahead of her, stopped as well and turned around, giving her quizzical looks at their friend.

"I just remembered that book Elsa recommended for Transfiguration. I'm going to go look for it really quick," Anna announced. "I'll meet you guys at lunch!"

Ella and Snow said goodbye as she rushed into the library. The two girls looked at each other and shrugged, then turned around again to walk to lunch.

Anna quickly scanned the book shelves. She couldn't find Madam Pan-Darling, so she went to search on her own.

She turned a corner, only to step too close to it, and tripped. Anna yelped and started to flail her arms around in a fruitless effort to stop the falling, only to grab a hold of some poor person and dragging them down with her. She fell on her back and pulled the person on top of her.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so so so _so _sorry!" Anna apologized adamantly. "I wasn't looking where I was going and -"

"It's fine," the person cut in.

Anna was about to continue apologizing when she looked up and suddenly lost all ability to talk. The boy above her was incredibly handsome: a head full of thick, auburn hair, with an adorable smirk and gorgeous green eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Are you fine? Because you look fine - I mean handsome - I mean gorgeous - wait, what?"

_Oh my gosh, what am I even saying?! I have a boyfriend!_ she yelled at herself. _Sure, this guy is _really _good-looking, but Kristoff is even better! In his own, special way, of course._

The boy chuckled as he stood up, then offered his hand. Anna glad took it, and he helped her stand up. He kept a hold of her hand and kissed it.

"I'm Hans South-Isles," he introduced himself.

Anna giggled and felt the strong urge to curtsy. She didn't, of course, because that would be weird.

"I'm Anna Arendelle," she said.

"Arendelle? As in..." Hans started to say.

"...Elsa Arendelle's little sister? Yes, yes I am," Anna finished.

"Actually, I was going to say you're one of the Hufflepuff Beaters, right?" he said.

"What? Y-yes, I am," she stuttered.

"Wow," he said. "That's really cool. Not many girls are Beaters, and from what I've seen, you're amazing. And really pretty,"

She blushed and looked away. "Thank you, that's so sweet, but not entirely true. Elsa is incredibly beautiful, and smart, and talented. I'm just...well, I'm just me,"

Hans placed a hand under her chin, gently turning her head until she had no choice but to look at him.

"I would have to completely disagree with that," Hans said quietly.

"Um..." Anna muttered, feeling her face turn bright red.

They stared at each other for a long time, until Hans removed his hand took a step back and around Anna.

"I have to go," he said. "I'll see you around?"

"What? Oh, yeah, totally, see you around, Hans," she said.

Hans smiled, bowing slightly, then walked away. Anna watched him leave, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

The feeling surprised her. She shook her head to get rid of those sudden thoughts.

_I'm with _Kristoff_, _she told herself. _He's sweet, kind, smart, handsome...even if he does have strange affinities for ice and reindeer and was raised by Rock Trolls. _

Anna shook her head again. She started to turn around, when she caught sight of the book she was looking for. She took it from the shelf, and went in search of Madam Pan-Darling again.

* * *

Chip caught sight of Belle in the library. Her head was bent over a book, completely focused on the text. Jasmine Aziz was nowhere to be seen, so it was safe to assume that they weren't having a tutoring session today. Then Chip remembered Belle telling him how her favorite place in the entire school was the library.

Which meant she was still sad.

Chip hated seeing her so sad. His romantic feelings aside, he saw her as a friend, and wanted to help her anyway he could.

He slowly approached her, nibbling on his bottom lip. He tapped on her shoulder. Belle looked over and smiled.

"Oh, hello Chip," she greeted.

"Hi," he replied, also smiling.

He shuffled his feet and wrung his hands, avoiding eye contact. He kept is focus on the books surrounding them.

Belle turned around in her chair until she was fully facing him and looked at him knowingly.

"I can tell that something is on your mind," she observed.

Chip didn't say anything, rocking back on his heels instead.

"What's wrong, Chip?" she asked quietly.

He finally looked at Belle. With a sudden burst of courage, Chip straightened his back and lifted his chin.

"That's what I wanted to ask you," he said.

Belle lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, clearly confused.

"What's wrong, Belle?" he clarified by asking.

"Oh." was all she uttered. Belle turned around again and focused on her book.

Despite her body language, Chip wasn't about to give up so easily. He squared his shoulders and marched to an empty chair beside her. He pulled it out, plopped himself into the seat and gave Belle a hard, determined look.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," Chip stated. "I know something happened last week and you won't tell anyone about it. Well, I'm here to listen,"

Belle turned to look at him, clearly set on not talking. But then her expression softened and she sighed.

"I suppose I should tell _someone_," she consented. "But to be perfectly clear, I'm not going to tell you everything that happened,"

"Why not?" he wondered.

"Because there's a secret I have to keep, and that's all I'm going to say about it," she answered firmly.

Chip was confused, but decided that, so long as she talks to him, it doesn't really matter.

"I honestly had a wonderful time with Adam last weekend," Belle began. "It was just...towards the end of the date, we were looking at the Shrieking Shack, and he told me a story. It was about the original owner of the shack and it was scary. A truly scary story."

She went quiet, lost in her thoughts.

Chip looked dubious. There was obviously more to the story than she was letting on. "Is that all?"

Belle smiled a humorless smile. "Not really. But Adam's story _did _bother me, and it still does,"

She stood up, gathered her books and looked down at the first year.

"Thank you for listening, Chip," she bent down and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you at dinner?" Belle asked.

Chip was in complete shock by the kiss she gave him, yet somehow gave her a nod. Belle smiled, said goodbye and walked away.

Chip sat in the library for a long time, until Madam Pan-Darling told him it was time to go to the Great Hall to have dinner. Numbly, he followed the librarian.

_I wonder what _really_ happened last weekend. _he thought to himself.

* * *

Malinda stared at Adam intently, absentmindedly stroking Diaval's feathers. They sat in the Slytherin common room, the only souls still in the space and remaining awake. It was nearly ten at night, but neither were making any effort to go to bed.

Adam was aware of her eyes on him, and, after hours of Mal staring at him as he glared at the fireplace, he finally had enough.

"What the hell do you want, Mal?" he snapped.

Mal simply smiled that knowing smirk, white teeth gleaming and framed by deep red lips.

"Oh, nothing," she said casually. "Only, I'm curious,"

Adam lifted an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously. "What are you curious about?" he asked.

"You and that Ravenclaw fifth year...oh, what's her name..." she started to say. Diaval cawed when she paused. "That's right! Belle French. Thank you, Diaval."

Diaval cawed again, flapping his wings before settling down again. Malinda continued to pet her crow as he rested on her lap.

Adam crossed his arms and legs, gauging Mal and her possible intentions.

"Could you be a little more..._specific,_ about Belle and myself?"

She chuckled darkly, that smile still graced her lips.

"Isn't it obvious, dear?" Mal asked rhetorically. "I want to know what you're doing with her and why,"

Adam remained silent, stubborn and brooding as usual.

Really, it was getting quite old, she felt, practically acting like a _beast_. But, she consented, he doesn't act like that as often anymore.

And Malinda believed she knew why.

"Fine. Don't tell me. I've seen enough to draw my own conclusions," Mal stated. "I know you've been spending a lot of time with her since your accident, and I know that you like her. I mean _really _like her. And despite what you might think, Adam de la Bête, I am actually a bit of a romantic.

Belle is good for you. Far too good for the likes of you, mind, but I digress. I can already see you change for the better, for what it is worth."

They were quiet again, with only the crackle of the fire filling the void. Adam prayed that that was all she was going to say on the matter. It was strange enough that Mal was able to immediately notice his growing feelings for Belle.

"However..." she added.

_Of course, _she has more to say.

"...I worry about that temper of yours. You're very quick to anger, and I have witnessed the consequences of that temper on multiple occasions. Adam, you need to tread carefully if you ever hope to be with someone like Belle French."

She was right, naturally. While Belle had seen the wolf side of him, she has yet to see the truly beastly part.

Mal urged Diaval to move from her lap to her outstretched finger, then stood up. She walked past Adam, then stopped, turned around and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't lose her, Adam." she warned. She gave his shoulder a gentle pat before taking her leave.

He looked over the back of the armchair, confused and (as much as he didn't want to admit,) a little touched by her warning. Mal was always sticking her nose in his business, as much as it annoyed him, but at least she doesn't push. It was one of the things Adam liked about her, and one of the reasons why he begrudgingly relies on her as a confidant.

"You can talk to me about her whenever you want, darling. Just so you know," Mal called over her shoulder.

Adam rolled his eyes. Of course, she would leave an open invitation for herself to further weasel her way into his personal life in an effort to gain the upper hand.

But, if he was being completely honest with himself, the thought of having someone to talk to about Belle was...nice.

Even if that someone _was_ Malinda Ficient.

* * *

**_A/N:_ **Well, this came out sooner than expected. I think it's because Maleficent wanted to make an appearance. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, let me know what characters you want to see, and you can always prompt me(:


	13. Ominous

{December}

_I sense a change. _Professor Esmeralda Djali thought suddenly.

Her last class of the day had ended only moments before, and a strange feeling overcame her. It wasn't a vision so much as an instinctual premonition of things to come.

Esmeralda ran to her desk and reached for the tarot cards. With only one question in mind, she separated and arranged the cards by Major and Minor Arcana, placing them face up in rows of three and columns of seven, with one card set to the side in each group. The Minor Arcana had more cards, and therefore the remaining cards were piled up and put aside.

As soon as the task was completed, she set to work reading the cards, trying to find some rhyme or rhythm to the pattern. Esmeralda muttered to herself as she read the cards.

Then, as if she was struck by lightning, the answer appeared.

The cards told her that there were traitors in Hogwarts. Some of them teachers (she could already accurately guess who), and some of them (shockingly) students. The traitors were going to tip the balance of the small world that is the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the worst, it seemed. Especially if a few students, the ones with powers beyond that of the average magical student, were lured in by the traitors. One thing Esmeralda was absolutely certain of, however, was that it had _everything _to do with Ursula, the Sea Witch.

_I need to talk to Lucinda right away._ she told herself.

"Professor Djali? Are you alright?" a quiet voice interrupted her musings.

Esmeralda looked up from the cards to see Elsa Arendelle standing in front of her desk. As per usual, Elsa wrung her gloved hands, but this time she had a look of deep concern on her face.

Somehow, the Divination professor managed a reassuring smile.

"I'm alright, thank you. I was just reading the cards to confirm a...suspicion," Esmeralda replied.

Elsa appeared slightly dubious with her teacher's answer, but shrugged and placed her book-bag on a nearby table.

"I think I know a way to fully control my powers now," Elsa stated proudly.

Esmeralda lifted a skeptical eyebrow, but smiled happily anyways. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Elsa smiled back, slowly peeling her gloves off her fingers.

"I spent the day in Hogsmeade with my sister last weekend, and she said something that...made sense," she answered as she placed the gloves in her robes.

Esmeralda gestured for her student to continue, though she had a feeling that she knew the answer.

"Well, you see...Anna said something about my mantra. You know, the one our parents taught me?" Esmeralda nodded. Elsa nodded in return and continued on. "Anyways, she said it was like wearing a mask: it doesn't show you, or anyone else, who you really are. And since most of the school already knows about my ice powers, there really is no point in hiding it. I just have to have trust in myself."

Professor Djali stood up and walked over to her student, one arm wrapped around her torso and the other tapping her chin.

"Hmm, that's an interesting point of view," she finally said. "Did you happen to test that theory on your own?"

Elsa shook her head. Esmeralda nodded in understanding.

"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out," the professor said as she took out her wand. With a wave, the tables were pushed against the back wall, the chairs were stacked, and the crystal balls returned to the cupboard. Elsa's book-bag flew and landed behind her teacher's desk.

Esmeralda indicated for Elsa to begin.

Elsa closed her eyes, focusing on the positive aspects of her magic and trusting herself that she can control it. She imagined a soft, fluffy cloud filled with gentle flurries. Splaying her fingers out in front of her, she willed her magic to create the cloud. She felt the faint prickle as the ice magic moved from her core, down her arms and out of her fingers. Elsa opened her eyes to see that she finally - _finally_ \- managed to create something that wasn't completely ice related.

The white cloud hung in the air, the flurries softly and gracefully fell to the ground.

Elsa smiled widely and laughed in surprise.

"I-I did it! I really did it!" she said happily.

Professor Djali smiled and clapped her hands. "I'm proud of you, Elsa," she said.

And she was proud of her timid student. For the past six years, they struggled together in an effort to control her magic. They had finally hit threshold last year when tragedy struck Elsa lost all control. While this new school of thought was a step in the right direction, she could only hope that there won't be anymore setbacks. She could only hope that, when the time came, Elsa would be able to use her magic to help people.

* * *

"Lucinda, I need to talk to you," Esmeralda demanded, marching into the Headmistress' office.

Lucinda Powers lifted her gaze from the papers in front of her to the Divination professor.

"What about, dear?" she asked as she removed her reading glasses and folded her hands in front of her.

"I had a premonition earlier, after my class had ended for the day," the young gypsy woman explained.

Lucinda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. While Esmeralda's predictions were very accurate, the art of Divination itself was more often than not _in_accurate. "Esmeralda, you're a very gifted Seer, but you and I both know that -"

"There are traitors here at Hogwarts! Most of them are students, Lucinda," she interrupted, her emerald eyes hard and determined.

She was absolutely certain, that much was clear.

The Headmistress sighed, but nodded, urging her colleague to continue.

"Students, you say?"

Esmeralda nodded.

"What about teachers?"

She nodded again.

"Do you happen to know _who_, exactly?"

Esmeralda bit her lower lip. "I have an idea of who they could be, but I don't have solid evidence to prove it," she admitted.

Lucinda wasn't the least bit surprised by that.

"Well, then, I thank you for your warning, but I can't take any action with nothing but 'an idea'," she said. "It's not that I don't believe you, Esmeralda, you know I do, but -"

"I know the traitors are after specific students. The cards told me _exactly _who they are and why the Sea Witch would want them," Esmeralda said, slamming her hands on the desk. "I believe the cards felt that the protection of these students are more important than the immediate identities of the ones who wish to..._recruit_ them."

Now that _did_ surprise Lucinda. It seems that Ursula has more in store for them than they realized.

"I believe I know who the students are that Ursula wants, but I rather have the names the cards told you before I do anything," she said.

Esmeralda smiled, and pulled out a piece of paper from the inside of her shirt. Lucinda refrained from rolling her eyes. The Divinations teacher has always been a bit bold, especially when it came to clothing.

She took the list and read it thoroughly.

The names on that list coincided with the one she had in mind.

Lucinda stood up and walked to the paintings hanging in the wall behind her.

"Send for the faculty immediately," she ordered. "And please keep it discreet."

The portraits nodded, having listened in on their conversation, and left their frames.

Esmeralda locked eyes with the Headmistress.

Their students were danger.

Lucinda Powers could only hope that they won't be too late.

* * *

At midnight, Facilier and Jafar once again snuck out of the castle and traveled deep into the Forbidden Forest. They quickly reached a snow-covered clearing with two figures standing near the far edge.

Jafar and Facilier slowly approached the shadowy figures. When they reached them, both pairs bowed to each other.

"Greetingssssss..." the twins Flotsam and Jetsam hissed.

"Good evening. Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" Facilier replied.

Flotsam and Jetsam looked at the dark skinned man blankly.

"What do you have..." Flotsam started to say.

"...to report, gentlemen?" Jetsam finished.

"Mr. South-Isles has come up with a rather excellent plan to urge Miss Arendelle to use her ice magic, by way of her younger sister," Jafar said, a snake-like grin gracing his lips.

The twins nodded satisfactorily.

"What of the son of de la Bête?" Jetsam wondered.

"Yesss, the mistress is rather insistent on having his..._allegiance_," Flotsam added.

Jafar and Facilier shifted uncomfortably, avoiding their two-toned gazes.

"_Well?!_" the twins insisted.

"He has been more..._withdrawn_ than usual," Jafar admitted.

"Yes, Mr. de la Bête has, for some unknown reason, casted his company with a fifth year student, a girl named Belle French. According to Powers, she had discovered his secret, and now they're all chummy," Facilier informed them.

"The mistress will _not_ be pleased by this!" they exclaimed angrily.

"Yes, yes, we know!" Facilier said, stomping away before he could completely lose his temper.

Jafar stood quietly, stroking his goatee. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"Gaston Hunt, one of our recent and most devoted recruits, happens to harbor certain..._feelings_ for Miss French," he said quietly. "Perhaps if we entice him to separate the two potential lovebirds, and in return guarantee her affections for Mr. Hunt, we could convince the de la Bête boy to come to our side when he's most vulnerable."

Flotsam and Jetsam looked at each other, then looked back at the two Death Eaters and nodded.

"Very well." they agreed.

Jafar smiled and nodded in return. Facilier came back after he had calmed down.

It was quiet for a while, until the twins spoke up again.

"The mistress has one more student of great she wishes to join us," Jetsam said.

"Yes, a mudblood with healing hair named Germaine," Flotsam said.

"Rapunzel Germaine?" Jafar wondered.

"Didn't even know she had magic hair to begin with," Facilier said.

"Gothel Towers informed the mistress of this," Flotsam said.

"She tried to steal the child when the girl was a babe. Someone stopped her before she could even try," Jetsam told them.

Jafar and Facilier nodded.

"Should be easy enough," Facilier commented.

"Miss Germaine _is_ rather naïve," Jafar agreed.

"Excellent," the twins smiled.

Once again, they fell into silence. Jafar was about to urge Facilier to make their goodbyes and leave, when the twins stopped them.

"Besides the South-Isles boy and the Hunt boy..." Flotsam mentioned.

"...have you recruited any more students?" asked Jetsam.

Facilier smiled widely. "As a matter of fact, we made a _very _lovely and surprising discovery just last week,"

Flotsam and Jetsam tilted their heads towards each other, looking at the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher quizzically.

"She may take some convincing, but I imagine that before our Easter break commences, she'll be a completely loyal and devoted servant to our coveted Dark Lady," he continued.

"_Who?_" they demanded.

Facilier's smile widened even further.

"Elinor and Fergus Dunbroch's only daughter."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Well, this came out sooner than expected .-. At least I met my goal!

For the record, this is a bridging filler chapter for things to come. Expect more this November (or sooner...we'll see how motivated I get).


	14. Tentative Beginnings

_**A/N:** _1) I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG. I SWEAR, I'LL TRY TO BE QUICKER, BUT IDK MY BIG SEASONAL JOB IS STARTING UP SOON, SO I'LL BE TOO BUSY TO WRITE.

2)Thanks for sticking with me (:

3) Also: Someone (very kindly) pointed out to me that Esmeralda's goat (who inspired her last name) is, in fact, spelled "Djali". Because it looks 100000x cooler than "Jolly", I shall be going through and changing the spelling.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

"Alright, Jasmine, just take a deep breath and try again," Belle sighed. She leaned against a wall, and rubbed the bridge of her nose in an effort to get rid of the headache throbbing behind her eyes.

Jasmine and Belle had procured an empty classroom, with permission from Professor Lumiere, to practice the Stunning Spell the fifth years had started learning last week.

For some reason, Jasmine was having a tough time with it.

Belle reasoned it was because the other girl was putting so much pressure on herself that it began to affect her magic. But, no matter what she said, Jasmine would flat-out refuse to lessen the burden.

Still, she wished there was something she could do to help ease her new friend.

Jasmine, who stood on the other side of the room, took a deep, steadying breath, and then nodded to her tutor. With great reluctance, Belle used the Levitation Charm for the ninth time on a clay disc and willed it to aim straight at her with a quick flick of her wrist.

The disc rose into the air and rushed towards Jasmine.

She gulped, focused her wand on the flying object, and yelled, "_Stupefy!_"

Red sparks flew out of her wand, but they only hit the ceiling, missing the disc entirely. The disc aimed straight at Jasmine. Her eyes widened, then shut tightly as she covered her head and ducked in an effort to avoid getting hit.

"_Stupefy!_" a voice called out from behind Jasmine.

She cracked open one eye, then the other, and slowly rose. Jasmine removed her arms and turned to see her Quidditch captain standing directly behind her.

"Adam!" she and Belle both exclaimed.

Adam gave them an arrogant smirk and inclined his head. "Ladies," he greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Belle asked.

He looked Belle straight in the eye, his smirk growing into a smile.

"I came here to look for Jasmine. We have Quidditch practice in less than an twenty minutes," he replied. "But I see that you two are busy."

Jasmine groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"I totally forgot about practice today," she moaned. "I've been so focused on learning that stupid Stunning Spell..."

Belle glanced at Jasmine sympathetically. Adam could see her heart going out to his Seeker, and that she was struggling to find the right words to help her learn.

"If I may, I think I might be able to help," he offered.

Belle lifted a skeptical eyebrow, but gestured for him to continue. Adam smiled and turned his attention back to Jasmine.

"Just imagine that the discs are actually Bludgers," he began. "While the best way to avoid them is to have a Beater hit them, they aren't always there. So, if you happen to have your wand with you, what do you do?"

Jasmine thought for a moment. She turned to Belle and nodded firmly.

"Belle, I'd like to try again," she said.

Belle looked surprised, but went ahead and performed the Levitation Charm again.

Like before, the disc flew straight at Jasmine. However, she was ready and clearly determined.

Lifting her wand and with a quick up and down flourish, she called out "_stupefy!_" and promptly stopped the disc from hitting her.

Jasmine let out a breathy, relieved laugh. Her smile was simultaneously proud and disbelieving.

"I did it..." she muttered. "I can't believe I did it!"

Adam smirked and gave a congratulatory pat on her shoulder. Belle smiled widely, clearly happy for her.

Jasmine rushed towards Belle, nearly knocking her over with a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for being patient with me, Belle," she whispered.

Belle smiled again and returned the hug. "You're very welcome, Jasmine,"

Jasmine pulled away, her smile still wide and huge on her face. She picked up her bag, waved to Belle and headed towards the door.

"Meet you at the pitch, Captain!" she told Adam as she walked past him.

With a sharp snap, the door was shut and Adam and Belle were left alone.

They stood in awkward silence, avoiding each other's gaze. Adam shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his head while Belle started to clean up the classroom.

Although she smiled at him, Belle made no move to start a conversation with him. Adam thought it was strange, but, then again, their whole..._relationship _was strange.

As Belle headed for the door, he gently grabbed her upper arm to stop her, refusing to let her leave without saying anything. She froze at his touch, but didn't try to push him away. He took that as a good sign.

"Belle, are you...are you alright?" he asked lamely.

She was clearly taken aback by the question. She hesitated before answering, "I'm fine."

"Good...good..." he said.

Belle smiled and started to leave again, but Adam kept his grip on her. He looked down, realizing what he had done and jerked his hand back. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked her straight in the eye again.

"What I meant to ask you was...would you like to come watch our practice?" Adam ventured.

Belle looked more surprised by that question than the previous one. She rocked back on her heels and nibbled on her bottom lip before she answered.

"Oh, um...I would love to, but...won't...won't Gaston be there?" she wondered.

Adam stifled a groan. He forgot all about Gaston and his so-called "feelings" for Belle. But he can handle him. All Adam wanted was to spend some more time with Belle before Christmas break.

He nodded, "Yes, he will be. But the invitation still stands. We'll be practicing until 3 if you're interested,"

Belle returned the nod, telling him she would think about. Satisfied with her answer, he grinned and opened the door for her. She smiled again and finally left.

He let out a long, deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding and ran his fingers gruffly through his hair.

Adam didn't quite understand his feelings for Belle. She made him...calm, but still his heart raced and he felt himself figuratively stumble whenever he saw or talked to her.

All of it was strange.

She was strange.

_That night_ was strange.

Yet, despite all the apprehension, Adam felt completely at ease with it all.

* * *

Merida growled and threw an ink well at the window of her dorm. The glass container broke and black ink splattered across the glass of the window. It dripped down heavily and dark, matching her breathing and current mood, respectively. She stood glaring at the window with her fists clenched and shaking.

"Oh my gosh! Merida, what happened?!" Ariel exclaimed from behind her.

Merida ignored her, blankly keeping her sights on the ink.

"Merida?" Ariel asked softly, placing her hand on Merida's arm.

Merida shook her off and stepped closer to the window. She uncurled her fists and crossed her arms, making it look like she was hugging herself.

Ariel bit her lip, resigning herself to simply leave her reluctant friend to fume about whatever and turned to leave.

"My mother sent me another Howler."

It was said so quietly that Ariel nearly missed it. She stopped and turned back around sharply. Merida had turned around as well, her curly red hair more wild than usual, and her blue eyes portraying both seething anger and terrible sadness all mixed together.

Ariel felt her heartache for her friend. "What did she say?" she asked.

Merida pursed her lips and clenched her fists agaian so tightly, the knuckles turned white.

"She...she said that, because of my grades, I have to quit playing Quidditch," she whispered.

Ariel's eyes widened. She knew Merida _lived_ for Quidditch. It brought her joy. It centered her whenever she was upset. It was like _breathing_ for her. It was a part of her. To take Quidditch away from Merida would absolutely destroy her.

Ariel tried to reassure her. "Maybe if you talk to her -"

"She's already talked to Professor Hercules and the Headmistress. And Nedakh already knows," Merida interrupted. Tears were forming in her eyes. "It's official...I no longer have control over my destiny."

Her voice croaked, the tears streaming freely now. She ran past the petite red head and ran out the door. Merida heard Ariel call after her, but she ignored her.

She rushed through the common room, more voices calling her name and asking her what's wrong. She paid them no mind as she pushed past the back of the Fat Lady painting and started running through the corridor.

Eventually, she had to stop and catch her breath. It was a difficult task because she had started to sob uncontrollably, leaning on a nearby wall to keep her from completely collapsing.

Merida could feel her whole world unravel.

She always thought that attending Hogwarts would lessen her mother's urge to groom her into becoming the next Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

But Merida never wanted that: it was always her mother's job, something that _she _had always wanted. What Merida wanted to be was a Chaser for the Pride of Portree, the same team her father had played on before he became an Auror and had retired.

Why was it that her mother never asked her what _she _wanted?

Why did Elinor want to have complete and total control over her life? Over her destiny?

She pushed her back on the stone wall and slowly slid down it until she landed softly on the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried harder.

She heard footsteps echo through the corridor and immediately stopped crying. She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve and stood up, straightening her jumper and smoothing out her skirt.

Merida pushed her hair out of her face and saw Professor Facilier standing afew feet in front of her.

"Hello, Professor, lovely day we're having, eh?" she greeted, hoping her voice didn't betray her.

"I suppose it is..." he consented. "...for others,"

Merida wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but she nodded anyways.

Facilier smiled and took a step closer to the young Gryffindor.

"It appears to me that you're having the exact opposite of a 'lovely day'," he continued, brushing off an invisible piece of lint from his robes. "I know that your mother has put a stop to your promising Quidditch career,"

She froze.

His statement and his crocodile grin rubbed salt into her wounded pride and dejected feelings.

Her expression must have shown her surprise because his smile dropped and looked at her with uncharacteristic apology. He took another few steps forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked at his hand, then glanced up.

"What if I told you there's a way for you to get everything your little heart desires? That there's a way to change your..." Facilier leaned in until he was close to her ear. "..._destiny_."

Merida's eyes widened. She nodded for him to continue.

He whispered in her ear, but what he told her made her skin crawl. Yet, it intrigued her.

"Professor Jafar and I will be hosting a little dinner party in my office the night before the students leave for Christmas. You are welcome to attend," Professor Facilier said. He stepped away and around her, walking away.

He left Merida with questions and visions almost too good to be true.

Perhaps she would attend that dinner party. Perhaps, the way he descirbed was her best chance at changing her fate.

* * *

_What am I even doing here?_ Belle asked herself as she sat on the empty spectator seats in the Quidditch pitch. Below she saw the Slytherin team gather around Adam, so he could give the drills of the day. She didn't see Gaston, a fact that clearly annoyed Adam, but relieved her.

When he finished talking, everyone mounted their brooms and rose up into the air. One by one, they spiraled out from their group circle, following the length of the pitch.

Flynn happened to have flown by her first, having noticed Belle and waved at her. She gave a small wave in return.

The other players barely acknowledged her, except Jasmine, who also waved, and Adam, who looked pleasantly surprised despite the curt nod he gave her. Belle felt herself smile and grow warm under his passing gaze.

After about ten minutes, she found herself slowly becoming dizzy from watching them and had to look away.

Unfortunately, it brought her nose to nose with Gaston Hunt.

Belle gasped and jumped out of her seat, landing hard on her backside. She groaned and stood up, as well as tried to subtly rub the pain from her fall.

"Hello, Belle," he greeted with a leering smile. "Fancy seeing you here,"

Belle could barely supress her grimace.

She opened her mouth, ready to reply to him when a blast of wind rushed over her head. She looked up to see a very angry Adam position his broom right in front of Gaston.

They glared at each other for a long moment. Belle could feel the tension rise between the two of them. She coughed quietly in hopes of breaking the strained silence.

"Where have you been, Hunt? Practice started twenty minutes ago," Adam snapped.

"Sorry, Captain, I was busy with..." he glanced in Belle's direction. "..._stuff_."

Belle opened her mouth again, only this time her jaw dropped in surprise. She was clearly appalled by Gaston's implicit response.

Adam glanced at her as well. They locked eyes for a moment, and he saw all he needed to know.

He turned his attention back to the dark haired Beater. "Perhaps your time would be better spent flying an extra twenty laps, as well as completing the other twenty laps that you missed,"

Gaston's jaw clenched and unclenched as the two boys glared at each other again. Though he kept his eyes on Adam, he carefully walked towards Belle. He finally turned his attention back to her and and gently grabbed her chin.

"Until we meet again, Belle," he said quietly.

Belle jerked out of his grip and gave him a hard stare. Gaston smirked and grunted as he finally left the stands.

She looked back at Adam, suddenly feeling embarassed - and slightly guilty - by everything that transpired. She wasn't sure _why_ she felt guilty, but she couldn't think of what else that heavy feeling in her stomach was.

"I should go," Belle announced.

She quickly gathered her things and was ready to leave when his voice pulled her back.

"Belle, wait."

She stopped and slowly turned around to face him. With amazing skill, Adam brought his broom forward and lowered it just enough until they were at eye level.

"I want to see you again before we leave for break," he admitted quietly.

She was shocked.

Why would Adam de la Bête, the most popular, talented and interesting boy at school, want to see her, the strange Muggle-born girl with her nose always buried in a book and had too much curiosity? Plus, wouldn't he want to avoid her at all costs, anyways? Belle knew his secret; the only reason why he told her anything was because he knew of her reputation and decided to quash any reason for her to snoop.

"Why?" she asked.

He didn't say anything for a while, dropping his gaze. Suddenly, his eyes snapped up and he stared at her, hard and determined.

"Because I consider you to be my friend," he answered. "And I like you," he added as an afterthought.

"Well, we're leaving the day after tomorrow...when do you want to meet?" Belle wondered.

Adam smirked and flew closer to her. "I'll find you." he whispered mysteriously in her ear.

He pulled back and flew away, leaving Belle both confused and awestruck.


	15. Tale as Old as Time

_**A/N:** _Dear Merida/Brave fans: Fangirl!me apologizes for what's about to transpire. Author!me feeds off of your pain muahahahahaha!

* * *

Merida stared out the window of the Transfiguration classroom, blatantly ignoring Professor Odie and the importance of the Bird-Conjuring Charm as she thought about what Facilier told her.

She really shouldn't agree.

She really shouldn't even be _considering_ it.

It would mean betraying her parents' trust and legacy; to disown them and her brothers completely. And it also meant the possibility of losing her friends.

Yet, it was the only way she could think of that would absolutely guarantee total control over her fate. Over her freedom. It was something that no one, not even her friends, could help with.

She had to do it. There was no other way.

"Miss Dunbroch...Miss Dunbroch..." a small voice tried to get her attention, but she ignored it.

"_Miss Dunbroch!_"

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain shoot through from the top of her head straight down her spine. She moaned and rubbed her head. She turned towards Professor Odie, who stuck her hip out and tapped her fingers on the top of her cane impatiently. Despite her small stature, Professor Odie always managed to appear larger than life.

"Now I know that I'm _old_, but I pride myself in bein' anythin' but _borin'_," Odie began to lecture. "So, Imma be takin' five points from Gryffindor for disrespect and disregard, and you'll be spendin' a little time with me after your classes to make sure ya understand the material _and _that ya don't be makin' the same mistake twice. Are we clear, Miss Dunbroch?"

Merida glared at the blackboard in the front of the classroom. She could feel the eyes of her classmates on her.

"I said, are we _clear,_ Miss Dunbroch?" Odie repeated.

"Crystal." Merida muttered.

"Very well, then," her teacher replied. "Now, what was I talkin' 'bout again?" She scratched her head under her white turban.

"Be careful where you conjure the birds?" Naveen Maldonia said helpfully.

"Oh, right. Thank ya, Mr. Maldonia. And that's something many witches and wizards tend to forget..."

For the rest of the class, as well as her other classes, she remained brooding and silent.

Aladdin and Ariel were at a loss. They knew their friend was upset, but all the things that they would normally do when Merida's upset seemed to no longer work. She had completely distanced herself from them, and the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed them.

Try as they might, Merida refused to speak to them. She avoided everyone, even the teachers, for the rest of the day.

* * *

Belle walked alone in the hallway on her way to dinner, reading _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, when she felt someone grab her waist and haul her off her course. She gasped and dropped her book before finally being put down.

She was ready to yell at Gaston, whom she thought was the one who grabbed her, only to look up and see Adam smirking.

"_Adam!_" Belle glared and hit his chest. It didn't seem to affect him much, except make him chuckle. "There is absolutely _no_ need for you to grab me like that!"

Adam was about to make a snide remark, until he saw - _really_ saw - the angry glint in Belle's eyes. His expression softened and he gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

Belle sighed, her own expression softening as well. "I accept your apology. But please, don't do that again. I thought you were Gaston,"

He involuntarily clenched his jaw at the mere mention of that brawny idiot. The similarities between him and Gaston were beginning to rub on Adam like sand paper on an open wound. He absently nodded his understanding as he got lost in his own mind.

"Well...?" Belle prompted, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Adam smiled again. "'Well' what?"

She rolled her eyes, but smiled in return. "Why did you grab me, anyways?" she wondered.

"Because, at the time, it seemed to be the best way to get your attention and ask if you still plan on...spending time with me later this evening," he replied.

"Oh," she said lamely. "Well, yes, I do. We're friends, right?"

His smile widened. Without realizing it, he reached for Belle's face with his right hand and gently cupped it. He saw her cheeks tint pink as her smile faltered slightly.

"Definitely," he agreed.

They stared at each other for a while, Adam's hand was still resting on her face.

Belle carefully removed his hand and bent down to retrieve her book. She considered it and started to giggle.

"What?" he stared at her strangely.

"I just realized...I drop my book every time we run into each other," she said in between giggles.

Adam laughed at that and nodded in agreement.

"You're right. It must mean something,"

"Perhaps,"

The two fell silent once again. The atmosphere was not as stifling as it was earlier, they're faces held easy smiles and their bodies were relaxed.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Adam stated suddenly.

"I am a little hungry," she said.

Adam lifted his elbow towards Belle. She looked between him and his offered limb before wrapping her hand around it. He smiled widely as he escorted her to the Great Hall.

They talked and laughed as they walked, much to the surprise of their classmates. Adam and Belle parted at the door, and headed for their house's tables.

The students whispered amongst themselves, trying to figure out why the Prince of Darkness and the Funny Ravenclaw Girl were acting as thick as thieves.

Before she even reached the Ravenclaw table, Belle knew she was in for a long and uncomfortable interrogation. She straightened her back and lifted her chin just a little. They were her friends; if she explained it to them, maybe they'd understand, at least a little bit.

Elsa, Milo, and Jane gaped at Belle, while Rapunzel smiled widely.

_Perhaps only one of them will_ really _understand._ Belle thought.

She sat next to Rapunzel, and started to pile her plate with food. Elsa, Milo and Jane, who sat across from, continued to gawk at her.

Belle ate a few bites of her meal before speaking. "I know you three have something to say, so you may as well say it,"

Their expressions changed immediately, clearly showing how guilty they felt.

Milo cleared his throat. Belle looked her straight in the eye and patiently waited for her to speak his peace.

"Belle, we know you've been spending some time with Adam de la Bête," he began. "But...well, we're not sure that's really wise,"

Belle's face was blank, although there was a quick flash of anger in her eyes, but she waited for her to continue all the same.

"I've known Adam since long before we started Hogwarts together," Elsa went on to say. "He has been, and always will be, selfish and cruel. Adam has never done or said anything nice to anyone, and he got progressively worse after his parents died. Adam de la Bête is an awful person, like all the other Slytherins, and is certainly not worthy of your time, Belle."

"Belle, Milo and Elsa are right. Adam is...he's just not good enough for you, or your friendship," Jane agreed.

"Plus, he's dangerous. Not only is he a really good Quidditch player, but a very talented wizard. He doesn't study all that much, but he's a quick learner and who knows what he's actually learned," Milo added.

Jane and Elsa gave Milo a quizzical look at that last piece of information.

"Kida has talked about in great length him a few times," he shrugged.

They turned their attention back to Belle, who looked at them defiantly now.

She felt a hand reach for hers and squeezed. Belle turned to see Rapunzel smiling reassuringly. Belle smiled and squeezed back.

"You know, not _all _Slytherins are absolutely awful," Rapunzel pointed out.

The three were quiet for a moment. Elsa and Milo nodded in agreement, their eyes showing that they amended their initial opinions. Jane, however, was still very upset and looked between the two girls across from her desperately.

"You're right, but you know the _only_ one!" Jane exclaimed.

"No, there's Naveen Maldonia. He's a spoiled brat, but he's nice enough," Rapunzel countered. "He has invited Flynn to spend all the school breaks with him since their first year,"

"And Jasmine Aziz is one of the kindest people I know," Belle added.

"I think they have this one, Jane," Elsa said, resting a hand on her arm. "I happen to know two other individuals who are even worse than most Slytherins, and they're in Gryffindor,"

"You mean Lyle Rourke and Helga Sinclair?" Milo wondered.

Elsa nodded.

Belle smiled at her friends, happy that they were beginning to at least _grasp_ the concept of her friendship with Adam.

Jane suddenly stood up and slammed her hands hard on the table. The entire Ravenclaw house went silent and stared at the _very _angry fifth year.

She and Belle locked eyes. Belle could see the struggle to accept and be supportive of her while still trying to be protective.

Jane broke the contact and stalked out of the Great Hall. Her friends were unsure whether to follow, or just let her be, when they saw Tarzan Burroughs stand as well and quietly went after her.

Belle was relieved; if anyone could make Jane feel better, it's Tarzan.

Meanwhile, Adam sat at the Slytherin table, quietly eating his dinner and ignoring the stares of his housemates.

Naveen Maldonia and Flynn Ryder stared at him, unsure of what to make of their pure-blood leader fraternizing with a muggle born.

Malinda Ficient, however, looked on proudly. The smug look on her face was enough to make Adam's stomach churn and forced him to stop eating.

"If you three have something to say, you might as well say it now," he announced. "With all your staring, you're making it rather difficult for me to enjoy my dinner,"

Naveen and Flynn looked away guiltily and continued eating their food. Mal just smiled slyly.

"You're finally making progress, Adam darling," she said.

"Shut up, Mal," Adam grumbled.

Mal laughed, and continued to eat and feed Diaval.

Adam's appetite managed to return, so he finished his meal and left the Great Hall to get ready for his plans with Belle.

* * *

"Let's see the wand movement again, Miss Dunbroch, and this time _without_ sayin' the incantation," Professor Odie said.

Merida rolled her eyes but went ahead and did the garland-shaped movement again.

"Juju, did she do it right?" Odie asked her "seeing-eye" snake. The giant python hissed and nodded it's head.

She harumphed and hobbled over to her office chair. Juju slithered quickly, beating his mistress before she sat down. As soon as she plopped down, he arched his back in time to cushion her feet. Odie moaned quietly as she stretched and cracked her old bones.

Odie and Merida were silent for a long time.

Neither one moved.

Until the Transfiguration teacher stretched and cracked again before she spoke.

"Ya know, Miss Dunbroch, I understand that you're upset about what your momma did," she said. "And ya have e'ery right ta be. However, I cannot condone dis behavior you insist on havin',"

Merida stared at her wide-eyed. Did her strange teacher _know_ that she intends on going to that weird "dinner party" Professor Facilier invited her to?

"Ya can't be angry all the time, suga. It doesn't change anythin', and mo' often than not, it actually makes matters worse," Odie continued. "Your momma means well. I remember her when she went to school here. She wasn't always so strict and rigid. But she definitely was with her friends and your poppa. That was just her way of showin' she cares.

"I know ya love Quidditch, and ya intended on makin' it a career after ya finished school. Merida, there's more to life than the things _you_ want. Ya just gotta dig a little deeper inside ya to figure out what ya really need."

Merida continued stare at her teacher. It was a long time before she realized Odie fell asleep. Even her snake was sleeping.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Merida quietly snuck out of Odie's office.

She raced down corridor after corridor until she reached the door she was looking for. Merida hesitated for a moment. The very _second_ she decided to knock on that door, her whole life would change forever. She took a deep, calming breath before knocking on the door in the complicated pattern Facilier told her to use. When she finished, the door slowly opened inward to reveal the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He looked down on her and smiled widely.

"Miss Dunbroch," he greeted, ushering her into his office.

She nodded in return, and took in sight before her. The office was large, round and dark, the only light coming from the large fireplace and the candles flickering in random corners.

As expected, she saw that most of the students attending were in Slytherin, like Gaston Hunt and Shan Yu. But there were two students that she was _definitely_ surprised to see.

"Lyle? Helga?" she whispered.

The two tall seventh year Gryffindors spun around at the mention of their names. When they saw it was Merida Dunbroch, they smiled the evil smiles she had only seen whenever they were on the Quidditch field. A cold shiver ran up and down her spine at the sight,

"Miss Merida Dunbroch! So _lovely_ to have you join us!"

Merida jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Professor Jafar leering above her.

"Now that everyone is here, I believe that we can officially start the party," he clapped his hands.

The chatter instantly desisted, and all eyes rested on the two professors standing in the middle of the room, with Merida between them. She moved out of the way, standing next Gaston Hunt.

"I think we can dispense of all the pleasantries, don't you think, Facilier?" Jafar asked.

"I believe so, yes. Let's get down to business," Facilier concurred.

With a wave of their hands, the candles and the firelight dimmed, casting everyone in near-darkness. Merida involuntarily gasped. She heard everyone chuckle at the sound, and felt her cheeks warm. She quickly composed herself and focused on the two drama kings in front of her. Facilier brandished a curved knife and Jafar lifted a black-colored stone goblet

"We're all gathered here tonight for one purpose, and one purpose alone: to give fidelity to the Dark Lady. You might know her better as the Sea Witch, although we highly discourage using _that_ particular nickname," Jafar began.

"The process is simple," Facilier continued. "Prick your finger with this knife, drop a little blood in the goblet, and say these words: 'I give my loyalty, my blood, my life, to the Dark Lady.' After everyone has given a little blood, the goblet will go around the room again, and you will repeat the words. Is that clear?"

The students mumbled a collective "yes", and the ceremony began. One by one, the students pricked their fingers, allowed a few droplets of blood to fall into the onyx goblet, and repeated the words. Merida was last, and she hoped not least.

Jafar and Facilier crowded around her. Facilier reached for hand and placed the knife in it. She looked between them, the goblet and the knife.

The reality of the situation hit her like a runaway train. Everything that entitled her joining the Sea Witch (_the Dark_ _Lady. _she corrected herself,) - eventually, inevitably, she'll have to fight against her family, and...her friends. They stuck by her, bless their hearts, but Aladdin and Ariel couldn't change her fate. But she couldn't betray them either.

"This is your last chance, Merida," he whispered. "This is your last chance to decide your fate, or to leave it in the hands of your mother."

That decided her. Merida narrowed her eyes as she lifted her hand, and pressed the tip of the knife into her fingertip. She locked eyes with Facilier when she handed back the knife, then turned her attention to the goblet. Squeezing her finger, she brought it right over the rim. She heard her blood _plop_ as she said the oath.

"I give my loyalty, my blood, my life, to the Dark Lady." she announced.

The two men smiled and nodded, then went back to the middle of the room. They held the goblet between them and muttered a few indistinguishable words. There was faint bubbling, like water boiling. Jafar and Facilier went around the room again, passing the cup to each student, guaranteeing their complete and total loyalty.

When the cup was passed to Merida, she surprised to find that the liquid tasted pleasant, like her favorite spice cake. She wondered if the potion changed taste to meet the individual's palate, to make it easier for them to give themselves entirely to the Dark Lady.

As it went down her throat, she felt something equivalent to an electric shock burst through her body. It was almost difficult to repeat the oath again, but somehow she managed.

"Welcome to the Order of Black Water, and to the service of the Dark Lady." Jafar and Facilier said together.

* * *

Hogwarts Castle was unusually quiet. On any given night, the stone walls would echo whatever skittering creature was running about, or the footsteps of Mr. Iago, the school's caretaker.

Adam was pleasantly surprised.

It meant that he and Belle French would be completely alone.

He made his way to the Ravenclaw Tower, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him.

Tonight had to be absolutely perfect.

When he reached the tower, he slowed his pace and stopped just before the bronze knocker.

The eagle head came to life and asked, _"What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees; up, up it goes, and yet never grows?_"

Adam thought for a moment, recognizing that particular riddle from somewhere. He tried to recall the answer, but couldn't exactly remember what it was. Suddenly, a discussion with Belle the other day and a certain book crossed his mind, and it came to him.

"A mountain." he answered proudly.

"_You may enter._"

The door hissed and swung outwards. Adam slipped inside quickly. He told Belle to wait for him outside of the Ravenclaw common room, but _he_ couldn't wait.

He stepped into the room just as he saw a shadow descend down a set of stairs that he assumed led to the dormitories. Adam turned his back to the staircase to search for a place to hide, but couldn't find one.

"_Adam?_" someone said quietly.

He let out a sigh of relief as he turned back around to see Belle, standing at the bottom of the staircase and clad in the blue dress she wore on their first date. She stared at him incredulously.

"Adam, what are you _doing_ here? _How_ -"

"You know that book you lent me? _The Hobbit_?" he interrupted by asking. She nodded. "The knocker asked me a riddle from the book and I happened to have remembered it," he said.

Belle smiled. "See? I told you books were always helpful, even fiction,"

Adam smiled in return. He reached for hand and gently tugged her towards the door.

"You were right, of course. Now, let's get going before someone catches us,"

She giggled softly as she held on to his hand and trailed behind him.

The two travelled through the castle in silence. Belle wasn't entirely sure where they were going, but still followed Adam all the same.

When they reached the seventh floor, Adam made a sharp left and quickly walked down the corridor. She barely had time to catch up, despite her hold on him, but he managed to slow down just enough for her to keep up.

Adam abruptly stopped in the middle of the corridor, just before they reached the tapestry of a wizard trying to teach trolls ballet. He turned to her sharply and reached for Belle's other hand. She looked up at him, puzzled by his sudden actions.

"Belle," he whispered. "This might sound a bit..._odd_, but we're going to walk past the wall opposite the tapestry three times. While we do that, I want you to close your eyes."

Belle lifted an eyebrow skeptically.

"It's a surprise," he tried to reassure her.

She was still unsure, but closed her eyes all the same.

Adam waved his hand in front of her face, then took a hold of her hands again and led her along the wall.

He thought about Belle, and how he wanted - no, _needed_ \- to make her feel special. Though he thought of her as a friend, he thought of her as more than _just _a friend. It was a feeling; that something was there that wasn't there before.

After the third passing, an elaborate outline of a door started to appear.

"Can I open them?" Belle whispered.

Adam quietly chuckled. "No, no. Not yet," he whispered back.

The door finally appeared. It was tall and wide with intricate designs covering the stone. It slowly opened just enough for the two of them to walk through. With a smile, he led her through the door. Once they were inside, the door closed behind them with barely a sound.

"_Now_ can I open them?" she asked.

"Alright. N_ow_," he said.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped.

The Room of Requirement, which she realized what it was after she walked past it the second time, had transformed to a warm, golden, inviting ballroom. It was lit with a dozen candles placed strategically all over and a chandelier overhead. Hints of blue were spread out around the room, complementing the brightness of the gold.

Belle walked to the middle of the floor and spun around to take it all in. It was, quite literally, breathtaking.

"Do...do you like it?" Adam interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to him, her smile wide and bright. "It's _wonderful__!_" she exclaimed.

He let out a relieved laugh, then reached for her hands. She gladly placed them in his. He looked down at their joint hands and rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands.

"There's more," he said quietly.

Belle's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, he led her to one side of the ballroom, where what looked like a changing screen stood proudly in a corner.

"Go ahead," he whispered in ear mysteriously. "I'll be right over there," Adam pointed to the opposite side of the room, where what appeared to be an identical screen stood.

She nodded numbly, then walked towards the screen. When she rounded the corner, she once again gasped.

Sitting behind it was a beautiful, golden-yellow ball gown. Belle reverently touched the bodice, noticing how soft and silky it was. The gown was too beautiful to wear, yet she wanted nothing more than to do just that. Biting her lower lip, she went ahead and quickly changed her clothes.

Adam returned to the middle of the ballroom, fiddling with the sleeve of his blue and gold jacket and readjusted his white caravat. He kept his back to Belle, more out of respect than resisting temptation.

The click of heels and a sudden surge of electricity rushed down his spine alerted him to Belle's presence.

He slowly turned around. When he caught sight of her, he stopped breathing.

Belle looked like she was clad in liquid gold. The color softened her, and it made her brown hair look like rich mahogany and her eyes gleamed and showed glimmers of topaz.

Her cheeks turned pink, and Adam realized that he was embarrassing her with his gaze.

Adam snapped his fingers, and music started to play. He bowed and offered his left hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

Belle smiled and dropped into a curtsy.

"I'd love to," she answered.

She placed her right hand in his. He placed a soft kiss before pulling her into his arms. His left hand held her right one aloft, and his right hand rested on the small of her back, forcing her left hand to rest on his shoulder.

Right on time with the music, Adam led them around the room in a dance. They stepped and twirled, and got lost in each other's eyes.

It was magical; though a very different kind of magic than what they were used to.

There was something about being together, whether it was talking or dancing or simply sitting near each other in complete silence, that brought a certain calm to Adam. Looking her eyes, he knew Belle felt the same.

As the music came to an end, Adam gave Belle one final twirl before pulling her close again. She rested her hands on his chest and looked up at him. Her eyes shone in the candlelight.

"Did you know that you have some gold in your eyes?" he observed, playing with her hair. She shook her head no. "They're like...what's that gemstone? It looks like amber, but it's not..."

"Topaz?" Belle offered.

"Yes, topaz," he laughed. Belle laughed as well.

After a while, they fell silent again and they stared at each other.

Adam temporarily broke contact to look up at the ceiling. Belle followed his gaze and gave a short, breathy laugh. A long stem of mistletoe hung above them.

Then, without preamble, Adam bent his head and slowly leaned into her. Belle rose up on her toes and tilted her head back. They stopped with barely an inch between them. Adam gently cupped her neck as she closed her eyes, and the distance ended at the meeting of their lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

* * *

_**A/N:** _Mood music: "Beauty and the Beast" instrumental version.


	16. Twas the Night Before Christmas Break

_**A/N: **_

I'M SO SO SO SO SOOOOOO SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER ON THIS. I HOPE IT'S WORTH IT!

Also: Worry not, I have NO PLANS to stop writing this story despite taking almost two months to update. It might happen again, considering I have another fic in the works. But I won't abandon this story. I love it too much to do that. It just might take me a little bit longer. Thanks for your support!

* * *

Belle had found herself unable to sleep for the rest of the night. Adam's surprise made her feel giddy and warm and...another feeling she couldn't quite name. Certainly something that wasn't there before.

It was everything she could hope for, though she didn't realize it at first.

After they kissed, Belle and Adam decided it was time to return to their common rooms. Despite her protests, Adam insisted that he escort her back to Ravenclaw tower, saying that he has been sneaking around the castle far longer than she had. Reluctantly, she agreed.

Just as before, they quietly and quickly reached Belle's common room, tightly holding hands.

When they reached the bronze eagle knocker, Belle turned to him and whispered, "I'd like to invite you over to my house for Christmas."

Adam stared at her, looking equal parts shocked and confused.

"I...I know you don't particularly enjoy Christmas, but I would like you to come anyways," she explained. "You don't have to if you don't want to, of course - it was just a suggestion. Papa is always trying to get me to invite my friends, but they all have their own families to celebrate it with, and since -"

"I'll think about it." he interrupted.

Belle smiled. "You will?"

He smiled in return and nodded. Belle lifted herself onto her toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Let me know tomorrow," she told him. She turned to the knocker, who performed its duty, and she quickly answered. The door appeared, and she turned again to face Adam. "Thank you for everything. Good night."

Adam muttered a "good night" as well.

She quietly went to her dorm, quickly changed into her pyjamas and went to bed with a smile on her face.

As soon as Belle entered through the door, he turned and ran through the castle.

While he ran, he thought about Belle's invitation.

He hadn't celebrated Christmas since he was eleven. It was a time he would rather forget, despite the constant reminder that came out of it. Forte had never cared much for the holiday either way, so even if nothing happened six years ago, he doubted that they would have done anything. Instead, it was treated like any other day away from school.

Adam knew his heart was in the right place, but he couldn't bring himself to even _think_ about doing anything special for Christmas.

It was too tainted for him.

* * *

Lucinda Powers stared out of the window of her office, quietly observing the comings and goings of her students as they headed for the train station and prepared for their holiday break.

From her perch, they all looked happy, despite the darkness that lay ahead. Lucinda felt a small smile grace her lips at the thought.

A sharp rap at her door interrupted her musings. She turned her head in the direction of the door.

"Enter," she called softly.

Iago popped his head in. "The Minister for Magic, and his...office, are here to see you, Professor," he announced.

Lucinda sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in an effort to get rid of the headache that had suddenly appeared. She walked to her desk and sat behind it.

"You may let them in, Iago," she said.

He nodded, opening the door wider to let in Minister Kuzco Umalliq, Advisor Pacha Reqsisqa, Senior Undersecretary Duke Weselton, and two Aurors. They filed into the room and lined up in front of her desk.

"Mulan, Shang, lovely to see you two again," Lucinda greeted, nodding to the Aurors. They nodded in return. She turned her icy-grey gaze to the three leaders of the British Ministry of Magic. "Minister Umalliq, Advisor Reqsisqa, Undersecretary Weasel-Town," she regarded them.

"_Weselton!_" the tiny, narrow-nosed man hissed.

Lucinda rolled her eyes. "And what do I owe this unexpected, _unwanted_ pleasure, Kuzco?"

The young man looked up to the ceiling and tapped on his chin. His face scrunched up in concentration as he clearly tried to determine the reason behind their visit. Lucinda barely suppressed a humored smile.

"You know, that's a _very _good question," Umalliq replied, and turned to the large, much older man to his right. "Pacha, why _are_ we here?"

"Halloween." Reqsisqa replied simply.

The Minister stared at his advisor incredulously.

"Halloween? What does tha - _oh._ Right. Now I remember," he turned back to Lucinda. "The Sea Witch."

"What about her?" she asked, walking over to her phoenix's perch and started to pet it.

"How did _she_ get into Hogwarts, the most heavily protected building in all of Great Britain, Powers?!" Weselton demanded.

"Ursula has always been a very talented witch; perhaps she saw a weakness in the school's defenses and exposed it," she answered quietly. "Or, there's someone in the school who is loyal to her and let her in. The possibilities are endless, really."

Weselton groaned in dismay and started to pace the length of her office.

"I'm with Duke on that, Lucinda; that isn't very helpful," Umalliq commented. Reqsisqa nodded in agreement.

Lucinda sighed. "I know."

"So you truly have _no idea_ how _she_ got in?!" Weselton asked.

Lucinda shook her head sadly.

The Ministry officials glanced at each other, clearly worried.

"That is rather..._worrisome_," Reqsisqa said.

"Yes, it is," she agreed.

Everyone fell silent, even the pictures. Lucinda sat back down behind her desk, her phoenix flying to land on her shoulder. She recognized it as the comforting gesture it was.

"Minister, we _have _to investigate! If the Sea Witch got in once, who's to say _she _won't do it again?" Weselton exclaimed suddenly.

The Minister gave a dramatic sigh. "Ugh, I suppose you're right," he grumbled. He turned to face the two Aurors. "Li, Fa, put together a task force _immediately_, and search the castle as thoroughly as possible, from top to bottom." he ordered.

Lucinda shot up from her seat, slamming her hands down hard against the top of the desk.

"_ABSOLUTELY NOT!_" she bellowed.

Umalliq's eyes widened in surprise, as did everyone else's.

Reqsisqa took a step towards her. "Lucinda, please, it's the only way to -"

"As long as I am Headmistress of this school, I will _not _allow the Ministry to infiltrate and interrupt a single _corner!_"

The room fell silent once again, but tension filled the void.

"Professor Powers?" Mulan asked.

Lucinda looked at the young woman.

"With all due respect, I think the Aurors _should _investigate," she began.

Lucinda lifted a skeptical eyebrow, but nodded for her to continue.

"Perhaps we could begin our investigation while the students are away for their Christmas break?" Mulan suggested.

The Headmistress sat back down and steepled her fingers, considering that option.

"We do have several students who remain at the school during the holiday," she reminded the Auror.

"Would it be possible to keep the students in their houses, excluding meals?" Shang chimed in.

Lucinda sighed, but nodded. "They won't be particularly happy about it, but I think my staff and I can come up with a compromise," she said. "However, I must request that you inform when and where your 'task force' intends to search _immediately_ _before_ you go there,"

Mulan smiled. "Does this mean we have a deal, Headmistress?"

Lucinda let out a hearty laugh. The sound shocked everyone in the room.

"Yes, Miss Fa, I believe we do."

* * *

"Belle, who are you looking for?" Rapunzel asked. "Everyone's here!"

Belle looked over her shoulder, changing her view from the sliding door of the train compartment to that of her friends. Milo, Elsa, Jane and Rapunzel all sat together near the window, talking excitedly about their Christmas plans and trying to spend as much time with each other as possible before they separate at King's Cross station.

"Oh, um..." she muttered.

"You were looking for Adam, weren't you?" Elsa deadpanned.

Belle bit her bottom lip and nodded guiltily. She saw the resigned look Jane's face, and felt even worse. Ever since she started "seeing" Adam, she and Jane started to grow apart, and it pained her. She hated that it felt like walking on thin ice whenever they were together. They used to talk about anything and everything.

"He's in the compartment behind us," Milo said quietly. "I saw him in there as we were walking up."

Belle couldn't contain the smile she felt light up her face. She told them she would be right back, threw open the door, and stepped out into the narrow aisle. Turning to her left, she slowly walked down towards the last compartment. Belle saw that the door was slightly open and peaked inside. Adam was sitting alone in the compartment, starting out of the window.

Taking a deep breath to somehow tame her fluttering stomach, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." she heard him say. She slowly pulled open the door and stepped inside the compartment.

Adam's head turned his head at the sound of her entry, and, although he looked startled by her appearance, he gave her a small smile.

"Belle," he breathed.

She returned the smile and stepped further into the compartment. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hi," he replied. Adam gestured for her to sit down. She sat down next to him, and smoothed out her dark gray wool skirt. They were silent for a long time, carefully avoiding each other's gazes.

Belle finally had enough of the awkward silence and decided to break it.

"So, um..." she started to say. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous, but she couldn't quash the incessant fluttering in her stomach."Are...are you...c-can you -"

Adam reached for her hand, silencing her uncharacteristic stuttering. She looked up at him and saw his answer written clearly across his face. But Belle could also see that he wanted to tell her, so she allowed him.

"Belle, I'm honored that you invited me - truly, I am - but..." he sighed and gently squeezed her hand. "Christmas holds too many bad memories for me. I don't think that will ever change."

Belle smiled sadly at him, placing her free hand on top of his hand. "I understand," she said. She leaned in and softly pressed her lips on his cheek before standing up. "I'll see you after the break, Adam."

Adam nodded and (rather reluctantly) let her go.

When the door slid behind her, his head fell into the palms of his hands.

He wasn't sure why he regretted his decision. Christmas was the worst time of the year for him; he wanted nothing more than to forget about it.

But there was something, something in Belle's eyes when he told her.

She had looked so hopeful, and when he announced his decision, he saw understanding and...disappointment. It pierced right through him, making him feel things he never knew he had inside of himself. Yet, his self-preservation instinct, the one he had developed over the years, flared up at the mere thought of celebrating the winter holiday. He had to protect himself from the memories.

After Belle closed the sliding door, she leaned against the wall in between Adam's compartment and her friends'. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten.

Belle knew she shouldn't take his answer so personally. She understood his reasons, but she just wanted to make him happy.

"Belle?" someone interrupted her reverie. Belle opened her eyes and saw Jane standing in front of her.

Her friend wrung her fingers and nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. She looked worried about something, and whatever bitter feelings Belle might have felt immediately evaporated. She took a step towards her and placed a comforting hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Jane, is everything alright?" she asked.

Jane suddenly threw her arms around Belle and held her tightly. Belle stiffened for a moment before returning the hug.

"Belle, I'm so, so sorry for the way I have been acting!" Jane sobbed. "It's just...you're my best friend, and I want you to be happy, but I also can't help but worry and be a little overprotective of you,"

To say that Belle was surprised by this confession would have been an understatement.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," her friend added as an afterthought.

Belle pulled back slightly to look at Jane better. Despite everything, she knew she was being sincere, and there was a touch of regret in her eyes.

"Oh, Jane. I do forgive you. You're my best friend and I know your heart is the right place," Belle smiled.

Jane smiled even wider and launched herself at Belle again, this time out of happiness.

"Thank you, Belle," she whispered.

Belle replied with a tighter embrace. Perhaps Christmas wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

{Christmas Eve}

Adam sat next to the fire place in his guardian Forte's home, staring at the flames intently. He ignored his surroundings: ignored the snow falling outside, ignored how the room became progressively colder, ignored Forte playing some ominous tune on the piano.

His house-elf looked at him worriedly, and he slowly approached his master. With a shaking hand, he tapped on Adam's hand.

"Master, are you alright, sir?" Cogsworth asked timidly.

Adam moved his gaze from the fire and glanced down at the unusually plump elf.

"No." he answered simply.

Cogsworth visibly deflated. His pointed ears fell against his head.

"I-is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

Adam started to shake his head no, when a thought crossed his mind.

He knew why he was depressed: it wasn't _just_ the holiday and what had happened in the past. It was the look of poorly disguised disappointment that he saw in Belle's eyes. She knew what Christmas meant to him, she understood it completely. What he finally realized was that Belle wanted to help create new, happier memories - not replace them, but finally, _finally_ move forward.

Adam turned his attention back to his waiting house-elf.

"I think there is something you can do, Cogsworth," he said. The house-elf's ears perked up again and his eyes shone with excitement.

Adam stood up from his chair and started to walk out of the room. Cogsworth trailed behind him, having a difficult time following his master's long strides.

"I'm going on a walk," he announced to Forte. "I'm not sure when I'll be back and I'm taking Cogsworth with."

Forte stopped playing and looked up to see the retreating back of his ward. Before he could say anything, the door shut with finality.

Adam led his house-elf outside of the mansion, past the front gate. As soon as they crossed through, he immediately grabbed Cogsworth's hand and gave him an address, commanding him to Apparate them to said address. Cogsworth was surprised by this sudden (and, he suspected, slightly illegal) request, but obeyed all the same.

Belle stared forlornly at her own fireplace.

She and her papa finished their celebrations a few hours earlier, but she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts were consumed with disappointment. Belle knew she didn't have any right to feel anything of the sort; Adam had a legitimate, heartbreaking reason for not accepting her invitation. But she just wanted to make him happy.

Belle decided she should go to bed, and as she stood up there was a knock at the front door of her father's tiny cottage. She glanced at the clock and saw how late it was.

With some hesitation, she walked to the door and looked through the peephole. She pulled it open and gasped.

Standing on the stoop was Adam and a nervous-looking house-elf.

They stared at each other for a long time, with the house-elf looking between them.

"Adam," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Her interruption of the silence appeared to snap Adam out of whatever stupor he was in and he took a step towards her. He framed Belle's face and gently planted a kiss.

"I'm here to spend Christmas with you." he whispered.


	17. Christmas

**_A/N: _**I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! My muse deserted me, so I was seriously procrastinating. I'm so sorry. This is the end of the Christmas arc, so now we will be moving on! (Finally.) Thanks for your support, and feel free to prompt me!

* * *

Belle and Adam sat in front of her fireplace, enjoying a companionable silence. Adam lay his head on her lap as she gently stroked through his hair and stared at the crackling fire.

At Adam's command, Cogsworth withdrew to the kitchen and hid in an unused cupboard.

"Adam...what changed your mind?" Belle asked suddenly.

Adam lifted his head from her lap to look at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"About what?" he wondered.

"About spending Christmas with me," she replied.

He put his head back down and sighed. Belle returned to stroking his hair.

"Honestly, I have no idea," he said quietly. "I was sitting at home, enjoying the quiet. Well, _mostly _enjoying it; Forte was playing the piano. And I guess I realized just how..._lonely_ I was. I've always liked being alone, but this year, it just didn't feel _right_,"

He glanced up at Belle and saw her eyebrows burrow thoughtfully. Finally she looked down at him and smiled.

"You know, you weren't entirely alone. You had Cogsworth, and I guess, in a way, your guardian. I think you just actually wanted to celebrate Christmas," she observed.

Adam snorted and sat up. He placed a hand on Belle's face, turning it enough that it forced her to look at him.

"That's not what I meant," he said.

"Then what _did_you mean?" Belle prompted.

"Forte doesn't care about me, not really," Adam tried to explain. "And Cogsworth...well, I'm not entirely sure what he is to me. Yes, he's taken care of me, but I'm not sure if he does it because he _wants_ to or because he _has_ to. Belle, I'm _lonely_, and I'm tired of feeling like that. But when I'm with you...I don't feel that way."

Belle smiled and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I knew it," she whispered when she pulled back.

Adam dropped his hand and stared at her quizzically. Then realization dawned on his face. He gave her a mocking glare, which sent her into a fit of laughter. Adam growled and launched at her, causing her to fall backward, which made her laugh even more. He started to tickle her, and her laugh grew louder.

"Belle? What's going on down there?" a voice called out from the top of the stairs.

Belle immediately stopped laughing. She pushed Adam off of her and scrambled to stand up.

"N-nothing, Papa!" she called back.

Clomping steps sounded through the small farmhouse. Her father walked down the steps.

"Belle, what are you -" Maurice stopped mid-sentence and froze when he saw his daughter standing next to a tall, handsome young man dressed in what looked like Victorian-era clothing.

The three people stood in stunned silence. Maurice looked between Belle and the young man, unsure how to proceed.

"Belle...who is this?" he finally asked.

The young man stepped forward with his hand held out.

"My name is Adam de la Bête," he introduced himself. "I'm a...friend of Belle's, from Hogwarts."

With some hesitation, Maurice shook Adam's hand. It was firm - so firm, Maurice thought his fingers would break.

"Obviously, I'm Belle's father. Maurice French," he said.

Another silence fell, a more awkward one. Belle was blushing bright red and avoided both Maurice and Adam's gaze. Adam, however, looked at him with steady eyes.

It reminded Maurice of a predator, like a wolf, staring down it's prey. He shook his head.

_Where did that come from? You would think I thought he was some sort of...beast!_ he thought to himself.

"I'm guessing that you'll be staying the night and will be joining us for Christmas day?" Maurice wondered.

Adam gave a half smile and nodded. "With your permission, of course,"

Maurice chuckled and returned the nod. "Honestly, I'm glad Belle was finally able to convince one of her friends to come celebrate Christmas with us," he said. "Of course, you'll be sleeping in the guest room,"

"Of course."

Before he turned to leave, Maurice shook Adam's hand again and gave Belle a kiss on the cheek.

Just as he was about to walk up the steps, glanced at the pair of them.

"Though, I do wonder...why did you arrive so late? It's nearly one in the morning,"

"I..." Adam struggled for an believable answer.

"It's alright. You can tell me tomorrow - or rather, later today. Good night,"

"Good night, Papa," Belle squeaked.

Maurice chuckled again and slowly walked up the stairs back to his room.

When the door closed with a faint snap, Belle let out a long breath.

"That was..." Belle started to say.

"...horrifying? Awkward?" Adam offered.

Belle laughed and nodded. She reached for his hand started to pull him behind her.

"Come on, I'll show you where the guest room is," she said.

Adam smiled widely as he willingly followed her.

_Best Christmas ever._

* * *

Elsa shook her head and continued her even pace. The snow was only three feet deep, which meant that the ever-energetic Anna plowed through it at an incredible speed, though she still struggled. Elsa, however, had always had less trouble trekking through the snow compared to her sister. But, then again, she always had more patience than Anna.

The Arendelle sisters were walking from their ancestral home to spend Christmas with Kristoff Iceman's family.

It was going to be their second Christmas without their parents. For Elsa, it was a bittersweet day.

Although it wasn't known to them until Anna and Kristoff became friends her second year, he lived only a few miles from them in a grotto inhabited by Rock Trolls. From that point on, Anna and Elsa spent every other school break with the clan of magical creatures.

Anna looked over her shoulder and groaned. She turned around and started to walk backwards, cupping her mouth to guarantee her sister could hear her.

"Oh my gosh, Elsa! _H__urry up!_" she called out.

"Anna, if you don't look where you're going, you're going to fall!" Elsa warned.

Anna laughed. "Pssh, no I'm - _ahh!_"

She fell backwards, rolling down a hill she failed to notice.

"_Anna!_" Elsa cried, running after her.

She heard Anna's muffled cries as her sister rolled farther and farther away, and it made her heart hurt. She knew that the only way to save the other girl was to use her ice powers...but she couldn't.

Although she had finally begun to master her talent, and she had celebrated her seventeenth birthday the day before, she knew she wasn't capable of performing any magic.

Elsa had never felt so helpless in her life.

Anna was starting to get dizzy, and she oddly felt both hot and cold as she bouldered through the snow. She cried out helplessly.

Suddenly, she stopped. She closed her eyes to try to get rid of the nausea, barely aware of what was going on around her.

Anna slowly realized that a pair of strong arms were holding her under she shoulders and knees.

Ever so carefully, she opened her eyes only to meet a familiar, handsome face and incredible green eyes.

It was Hans South-Isles.

Just then, a wave of nausea hit her in full force. She wasn't sure if it was because of her recent misadventure, or the strong sense of déjà vu that occurred.

"Um, you might want to move or put me down or something, because I think I'm going to puke all over you," she warned.

Hans chuckled and gently set her down, pulling back her hair as she hurled the contents of her stomach.

"Anna! Anna, are you alright?" her sister called out.

Elsa fell to the ground by her sister, smoothing back her hair as she checked for any life-threatening injuries.

Anna turned and gave Elsa a weak smile. "I'm alright," she said. Elsa gave her a dubious look. "Okay, _mostly_ alright, but I'm not hurt! Hans saved me before it got too out of hand!"

"Hans?" Elsa wondered.

"That would be me," Hans said right behind her. She jumped and turned to see a vaguely recognizable face. He held out his hand and smiled. "I'm Hans South-Isles. I'm a sixth year at Hogwarts."

With some hesitancy, she shook his hand. "You're one of the Slytherin chasers, right?" she asked.

"Indeed I am," Hans replied.

"Well, I'm Elsa Arendelle, Anna's older sister," she introduced herself.

"Oh, I know who you are,"

Elsa grimaced. Of course, her name was known throughout the entire school after that 'incident' a few years back.

"Right..." she muttered.

She turned her attention back to Anna, pulling out her wand and casted a healing spell.

Anna immediately felt better. She gave Elsa a hard hug, then stood up and gave Hans an equally strong embrace.

"Thanks for saving me, Hans," she said.

Hans reached for her hand, and kissed her knuckles. "It was my absolute pleasure, Anna," he said in a low voice.

His tone made Anna shiver and blush furiously. Her stomach flipped, making her feel sick all over again.

_I wonder why that is?_ she thought.

"Anna!" someone called out.

The group of three turned in the direction of the voice.

Anna broke into a wide smile. "Kristoff!" she exclaimed happily.

Kristoff ran to her and pulled her into a tight, bone-crunching hug. Even though she couldn't breathe, Anna felt immediately calmed by his presence.

"I saw what happened, and came as fast as I could," he explained. "Are you alright?"

"Kri-Kristoff...can't...breathe..." Anna wheezed.

Kristoff released her, but kept his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Swell, even. And it's all thanks to Hans - he rescued me," she replied.

Kristoff scrunched his eyebrows, clearly confused.

"Hello, Iceman," Hans greeted.

Kristoff turned towards Hans and narrowed his eyes.

"South-Isles," he returned stiffly. "How did you get to her so quickly? I didn't see you,"

Hans smirked. "I was just walking by, when I saw something - or rather, someone - roll right past me," he said. "I heard Elsa call out to her name, and I immediately ran to her and caught her before she could run into that block of ice." He pointed to the giant, boulder-like ice formation directly behind him.

Kristoff grunted. He gently tugged Anna, mumbling about how Pappy and the rest of the Rock Trolls were waiting anxiously for her and Elsa.

Elsa was more than happy to leave, leading the way to the grotto, Anna and Kristoff trailing behind her.

Anna looked over her shoulder and waved at Hans. Hans waved back, until they were only specks in the distance.

His smile dropped from his face, transforming into a sneer.

"Damn it, that should have worked! Elsa should have used her powers to save Anna..."

* * *

Merida bit her bottom lip tightly, trying to muffle her cries as the pain shot through her left arm. She held her arm to her chest in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but it didn't work. Unsure of what else to do, she tossed and turned in her bed to somehow move the sharp spasms moving up and down her arm. After a while, only her left forearm tingled.

It was completely unbearable.

"Merida, it's time for Christmas dinner!" she heard her mother call out.

Just then, she felt the muscles, tendons, nerves and arteries move and shift in her forearm.

With some reluctance, Merida slowly pulled back her sleeve to reveal the growing formation of a magical tattoo. Her blue eyes widened in shock and surprise as she watched the black ink draw itself into the shape of a skull and eight tentacles.

"_Merida! Come down NOW!_" Elinor yelled.

"I-I'll be down in a minute, mum!" Merida replied back.

She wasn't sure what her mother said in return, but she didn't care. She focused on ignoring the pain.

Suddenly, the ink stopped moving and the pain disappeared.

Now, it was official.

Merida was, now and forever, a member of the Order of Black Water.

A smile of grim satisfaction grew on her face. She knew, deep in her heart and soul, that she has complete and total control over her fate.

"_MERIDA!_" her mother screamed.

Merida groaned and rolled her eyes. She shoved her sleeve down. She smoothed out her tartan skirt, then walked to her bedroom door, pulling it open rather harshly.

"I'm coming!" she called out, running down the stairs.

At the bottom of the steps, she saw her mother, tapping her foot, arms crossed and clearly irritated.

"What in the world were you doing?" Elinor demanded. "You know we have guests! They've been waiting for you to come down so we can eat!"

Merida looked her mother straight in the eye. "I'm sorry." she said simply.

Realizing she wasn't going to get a full explanation out of her daughter, Elinor shook her head and guided Merida to the dinning hall.

When they walked into the room, Merida could barely contain her grimace.

She saw that the Dingwalls, the MacGuffins and the MacIntoshes were in attendance. With their sons.

Merida could not believe how completely unsubtle and old fashioned her mother was. She caught her father's eyes standing at the head of the table, giving her a slight shrug and apologetic look.

At least her father had her back.

Elinor plastered a deceivingly pleasant smile on her face. "Merida, you remember your father's friends, and their sons?"

"Yes," Merida answered sullenly. She turned to face her family's guests and gave them a mocking curtsy. "It's nice to see you all again," she greeted.

Before their guests could say anything, a loud crash and multiple bangs echoed through the hall. Everyone turned in the direction of the sound, near the giant fireplace at the other end of the room.

Ancient and ornamental armor and weapons were strewn across the floor, as well as food, three grinning red-headed devils and completely shocked house-elf named Maudie.

"_BOYS!_" Fergus bellowed.

Merida bit the inside of her cheek in an effort to stifle her laughter. She looked around and saw the younger guests trying to do the same.

_Perhaps this dinner won't be so bad after all. _Merida thought to herself. She rubbed her left forearm, feeling the slight rise of the Dark Mark through the fabric of her shirt. _Especially since I now have more control over my fate._


	18. Villains

A/N: This is more of a filler chapter than anythig else. But it is setting us up for some major drama (;

* * *

Malinda Ficient dreaded the return to Hogwarts. It wasn't so much the incredible education she received that she despised, but more so the students she felt she was forced to share it with.

Well, except for her long-time - albeit, reluctant - confidant (they had both silently agreed not to refer to each other as "friends") Adam de la Bête. Despite his brutish facade, he was actually a quiet, highly intellectual wizard. Which therefore meant they got along swimmingly.

She was one of the first to arrive at King's Cross station, in order to get one of the private compartments.

Diaval cawed and head-butted his mistress. Malinda absent mindedly stroked his head as she stared out the train window. She smiled when she saw Adam walking hand-in-hand with the lovely and far too good for him Belle French. The two looked disgustingly chummy, much like her cousin Aurora Briar and her obnoxious beau Phillip Drake. Although, Adam and Belle were quiet and subtle about their affection, which suited both them and Malinda perfectly.

Rather uncharacteristically, Malinda placed Diaval on her shoulder, pulled the window and called out to the couple.

"Adam! Come sit with me! And bring Belle with you!"

Adam and Belle stopped and looked in Mal's direction. Adam grimaced while Belle giggled.

"I didn't think the great Malinda Ficient even knew my name," she said.

"Mal has this unfortunate tendency to be an insufferable know it all," Adam muttered.

Belle giggled again, and led them to Malinda's compartment. When they got there, Malinda's red lips pulled into a surprisingly genuine smile, making Adam wary of her hidden intentions. She greeted them and indicated to the seats across from her. Her crow moved from her lap to her shoulder, eyeing the newcomers with beady black eyes.

"Please, sit down," she said.

Belle happily sat down, sitting directly across Malinda. Adam hesitated a moment before joining her, eyeing his housemate with suspicion.

"I don't think we've ever been properly introduced," Malinda held out her hand and introduced herself. "I am Malinda Ficient. Slytherin Prefect and Head Girl, and this is Diaval." Diaval cawed in greeting, flapping his wings.

Belle took the proffered hand and gently, but firmly, shook it. "I'm Belle French. I'm just another student in Ravenclaw. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she replied. "And it's nice to meet you too, Diaval."

"Oh, believe me, dear, the pleasure is all ours," Malinda said.

Belle's smile widened. She had never felt so flattered in all her life.

The two young women talked, learning about each other and finding that they had an awful lot in common.

As the train started to fill with students, and their conversation wore on, Adam became even more suspicious, so much so he was ready to burst.

"What are you up to, Mal?" he asked suddenly.

Malinda and Belle immediately ceased talking, staring at him incredulously.

"Why, whatever do you mean, dear?" Malinda asked.

"I think you know what I mean," Adam hissed. "I know you, Mal. You don't do anything unless you have something to gain from it."

Mal blinked at him a few times, giving him a blank look before offering a small smile.

"You do know me so well, Adam darling," she said sweetly. "You are, indeed correct. I am gaining something: information about an intelligent, beautiful and talented witch who is simultaneously too good for you and too perfect for you," She turned back to Belle and reached for her hand, putting it between her own and patting it gently. "And, might I say, Miss French, you are absolutely charming."

"Thank you, I feel the same" Belle giggled. "But please, call me Belle,"

"Then you may call me Malinda. Or Mal, if you prefer," the Syltherin girl said.

Adam stared at them with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

"Oh, Adam, do close your mouth! I can be genuinely pleasant when I want to be, you know," Malinda scolded.

He closed his mouth just as the compartment door opened to reveal Jasmine, Naveen and Flynn.

When she caught sight of Belle, Jasmine let out an excited squeal and launched into Belle's arms. With a shocking amount of ease, Belle caught the other girl. They held onto each other tightly, quickly asking each other how their breaks went and such.

"Uh, hey, Belle...Adam," Flynn greeted with uncertainty.

"Hi, Flynn," Belle replied, looking over Jasmine's shoulder.

Naveen, for once, remained quiet. He wasn't sure what to think of what had transpired.

With some reluctance, Belle released herself from Jasmine's embrace and stood up.

"Well, I better get going. I'll see you all later," she said. She gave Adam a kiss on the cheek as she passed him. When she reached the door, she turned back and smiled. "It was nice to finally meet you, Malinda." Belle nodded toward Naveen and Flynn, then left in search of her own friends.

The compartment full of Slytherins was as silent as the grave.

Suddenly, Flynn gave Adam a hardy pat on the back.

"Congratulations, buddy," he stated.

Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement. Adam could only give the vaguest of nods.

Mal smiled to herself as she returned to stroking Diaval.

Adam certainly has his work cut out for him. But that's not entirely a bad thing. She thought to herself.

* * *

Somewhere far away and cleverly hidden, in what appeared to be a deep, dark cave by some unknown sea, lived the incarnation of every witch and wizard's nightmares.

Ursula the Sea Witch sat in the dark, with only the purplish light illuminating from the giant crystal ball. Using her fingernail, she made random patterns around the crystal ball. Her hand nearly obscured the image in the ball, of all the young students returning to Hogwarts. Her most loyal spies Flotsam and Jetsam, with the help of their enchanted white eyes, allowed her glimpses of the wizarding world without raising suspicion.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, or what generation you are in: teenagers never change," she chuckled.

Feeling the need to use her power and influence, Ursula lifted her wand and pressed it tightly to her inner right wrist, focusing on the followers returning to Hogwarts. She could hear the silent cries of pain, the internal gritting of teeth. She smirked, relishing the power invading the minds of the members of the Order of Black Water.

"You all know your missions, but remember this: I need to have Kida Nedakh, Rapunzel Germaine, Elsa Arendelle, Tarzan Burroughs and Adam de la Bête on my side! I need their power!" the Dark Lady announced.

She heard the collective answers of affirmations. Ursula pulled back her wand and turned her attention back to the ball.

"Flotsam, Jetsam. Make sure everyone does their jobs." she ordered.

"Yessss, mistress." they answered.

* * *

As the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross, Gaston fell into his seat with an irritated huff.

Hans briefly looked up from his copy of The Daily Prophet, and shook his head indignantly. They sat in one of the train cars with rows of seats, instead of the compartments they usually sat in.

Across from Hans and Gaston were Lyle Rourke and Helga Sinclair. Lyle was broader and taller than Gaston, but with shaved dark brown hair and more squarely chisled features. Helga, on the other hand, was comparatively more slender, and had long, golden blonde hair that she kept in a constant braid. She had an eternal sneer on her face, while Lyle had a constant, obnoxiously knowing smile.

The four of them sat in a far corner of the car, away from all the other ignorant students.

"What was I thinking, taking on that impossible mission the Dark Lady tasked me with?" Gaston lamented loudly.

"Oh, please," Helga rolled her eyes. "You have one of the easiest jobs! Lyle and I are stuck with that Atlantian twit,"

"At least none of you have to deal with the Snow Queen. She's impossible to crack and even harder to get close to!" Hans interjected.

"I would have liked to have gotten that task," Lyle commented, earning a sharp elbow jab to his side from Helga.

The group continued their banter, but Gaston withdrew and fell silent. He stared out of the window, vaguely watching the passing scenery.

Only what he was really seeing was Belle.

Beautiful, tiny, slender Belle.

There was something about her, and it wasn't just her looks. There was something alluring about her. Something he wanted nothing more than to possess.

Adam de la Bête didn't deserve her, not the tiniest bit. Gaston nearly had Belle in his clutches had it not been for de la Bête's interference.

He wasn't sure what or how it happened, but he was certain of one thing: he'd have Belle, and there was no mistake about that.

Now, he just had to figure out a way to get Adam to join the Dark Lady, and to have Belle as his.

"Gaston, are you thinking over there?" Helga teased. "It's a dangerous pastime for you, you know."

Gaston turned and glared at her. Helga glared right back, her fist clenching and her body tensing.

"Now, now, children, don't be hasty! Save your strength," Hans chided. "You're going to need it." He tilted his chin in the direction of Hogwarts in the distance.

Gaston narrowed his eyes, but relented. South-Isles was right - he needed to save his strength, especially when he finally comes up with a plan.


	19. Valentine's Day

**_A/N: _**_"Every Story Has a Beginning, Middle, and an End: But Not Always in That Order."_ At least, as far as this chapter is concerned.

* * *

{February 14th - Evening}

"Kida?!" Milo Thatch burst into the Hospital Wing, frantically searching for the most important person in his life.

He saw the nurse walk towards him, her face blank. "Where's Kida?!" Milo cried. He felt tears starting to form, and his heart beat even faster than when he ran from Hogsmeade.

"Mr. Thatch, _please _be quiet! She's over here," Madam Potts said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and leading him to the far end of the wing.

A curtain surrounded the bed. A strange, white-blue light illuminated through the thin fabric.

Milo shrugged off the nurse's comforting arm and slowly approached the bed. He hesitantly reached for the curtain, then pulled it back harshly.

"Kida..." he breathed.

A glowing, crystal-like figure that looked an awful lot like Kida Nedakh floated three feet above the hospital bed. Despite the harsh lines that are associated with crystals, her hair and clothes gently moved of their own accord. Her eyes were closed.

"Kida." Milo repeated.

The tears that brimmed in his eyes were finally released. He fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands. Milo started to sob, which blocked the sound of a pair of running footsteps come up behind him. The footsteps stopped and were replaced by a gasp.

"Oh, Milo." he heard a familiar, female voice whisper.

She sat beside him and rubbed his back. He glanced sideways and saw it was Belle. Milo sobbed harder. Belle wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

But it wasn't enough to keep him from falling apart completely.

When the crying subsided, Belle felt it was time to talk. She removed her arms and turned to face him fully.

"Milo...do you know what happened to Kida?" she asked.

Milo sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He looked at his friend and nodded.

"I read a little about it, and when I met her father, the Atlantian Minister, he told me a little bit more," he started to explain. "He told me that before it disappeared, Atlantis used to be a kingdom. And the Nedakh family were the first, last and only royal family. And there's something about the royal bloodline that's more...powerful. I know it has _something_ to do with the crystals, but I'm not sure _how._ I just...I hope it's not permanent, Belle."

Belle listened in silence. When Milo finished, she merely nodded.

It was quiet for a while, and Milo rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped an arm around him again and leaned her cheek on the top of his head.

"Thank you for being here, Belle," he whispered.

"You're welcome, Milo," she whispered back.

* * *

{Earlier that day}

January flew by without incident, much to the surprise of Professor François Lumiere.

He walked the streets of Hogsmeade, keeping an eye on the students as they all fumbled through village and the feelings of _a__mour de jeunesse _\- young love. He remembered those feelings in his youth quite well; though, he sometimes felt, Lumiere never quite outgrew those urges.

It was those thoughts alone that prompted him to go see his latest lady friend, Madam Stella Bleu.

As soon as he walked into the cramped café, he was instantly bombarded by the warmth and aura of _amour de jeunesse_. He smiled to himself and scanned for the proprietor. When he found her, he called out her name. The blonde woman looked up from a table, caught his eye and grinned.

"Oh, hello, François!" Madam Bleu greeted. She quickly walked up to Lumiere and planted quick kisses on both cheeks. "Please, sit anywhere that's open, and I'll be there in a minute."

Lumiere gave a curt nod, and sat down at an empty table by the door.

He quietly observed the students around him as he waited.

In one of the center tables, he saw Snow White and Florian Noble looking rather cozy and childish, in comparison to some of the other couples in the room. _Mademoiselle_ White was very young and naïve, although she was absolutely brilliant at Charms and (according to _Professeur_ Fauna) Care of Magical Creatures, and was a very kind and generous soul. _Monsieur_ Noble, on the other hand, was an average student as far as acadmeics went, much more of a jock any how. But, even as a chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, he wasn't very stellar at that either. While Lumiere knew not everyone had depth, it didn't stop him from being annoyed by those who lack it.

Shaking his head, Lumiere turned his attention to another couple, who sat close to a window.

He saw it was Aurora Briar and Phillip Drake, looking more like an old, still-very-much-in-love couple. While Mademoiselle White and Monsieur Noble were as close as two peas in a pod, Aurora and Monsieur Drake sat across from each other and held hands. They looked like they were sharing a lovely conversation, as they both hadn't stopped smiling. He always liked Aurora, although she was always a little too sleepy and often argued with him (and Professors Flora, Fauna and Merryweather...well, _all _the teachers) in a sweet and sometimes condescending manner. _Monsieur_ Drake was much more amiable; more of a diplomat, really. Which certainly helped whenever Aurora loses her temper. He was an exceptional student, a great athlete and a shockingly kind person, which, Lumiere supposed, was one of the reasons why he became Head Boy.

Lumiere continued to look around and observe the students until Madam Bleu graced him with her presence. She placed a tea set on the table, and sat down in the seat across from him with a quiet huff.

"I am very much a fan of True Love, but I _hate _Valentine's Day," Bleu stated, wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

Lumiere chcuckled as he reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I understand, _mon amour_," he said.

Bleu gave him a small smile, and placed her other hand over his.

"I do apologize for taking so long, François," she said.

"Oh, no matter, Stella," he waved his free hand dismissively. "I'm with you now, and that's all that matters,"

The two adults chatted for a while, until the door slammed wide open, and Ariel Finn frantically searched for someone. When her eyes landed on Lumiere, she ran towards him.

"Professor Lumiere! There's something wrong with Kida!" she exlclaimed.

Lumiere stood up suddenly and followed the young Gryffindor out of the tea shop and into the High Street.

"Have you informed _Professeur_ Jafar or _Monsieur _Iago?" Lumiere asked as they quickly walked towards wherever _Madamoiselle_ Nedakh was.

Ariel shook her head frantically. "Eric and Aladdin went looking for them, but they didn't find either one," she replied.

Lumiere grunted, unsurprised. Jafar always managed to avoid anything that requires him to be involved as a teacher, and that sniveling little caretaker always followed suit.

"Where is _Madamoiselle_ Nedakh, exactly?" he wondered.

"Between Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack," she answered. "Tarzan is with her."

When they finally reached the place, Lumiere stopped in his tracks. He could hardly believe the sight before him.

Floating vertically just a few feet off the ground, and glowing with an unearthly aura, Kida was utterly transformed. Tarzan Burroughs stood behind her, his shock completely evident on his face.

"_Oh mon dieu_," Lumiere breathed. He turned to Ariel. "Go to Madam Meg, tell her what has happened and have her contact _Professeur _Powers. If you happen to run into _Monsieur _Castle or _Monsieur _Ali, tell them to come collect _Monsieur _Burroughs." he ordered.

Ariel nodded dimly, and ran back to the village.

* * *

{About 15 minutes before Lumiere appears}

"Why aren't you with Jane and Milo and those guys?" Ariel asked Kida and Tarzan.

Ariel, Eric, Aladdin, Tarzan and Kida all walked along the path towards the Shrieking Shack, enjoying the crisp winter day. It wasn't very often that the two seventh year Gryffindors spent any time with their fellow housemates, except for Kida, Aladdin and Eric, who were all on the Quidditch team.

While Eric and Ariel held swinging hands, and Aladdin had his own stuffed in his jacket pockets, Kida had her arm looped through Tarzan's, their sides stuck together. Normally, they would walk closely with their significant others to keep warm, but because they weren't there, they resorted to using each other. Both grew up in hot climates, so they had a hard time with the consistently cold air of Britain.

Kida and Tarzan both gave an awkward shrug in response to Ariel's inquiry.

"They wanted to go to Tomes and Scrolls, but Tarzan and I wanted to take a walk," she explained. "So we decided to go our separate ways and meet up at the Three Broomsticks in an hour."

Ariel gave a quiet "oh", then returned to walking ahead of the group with Eric in tow.

"Well, we're glad you're here, Captain," Aladdin said with a sad smile.

The two seventh years sauntered over to Aladdin. Kida nudged him with her free elbow. He looked at her quizically.

"Merida is still not talking to you?" she asked.

Aladdin sighed and nodded. "Not even when we're in class! Something happened over Christmas break, but she won't tell me _what,_" he said with exasperation.

"You don't think it's because her mother forced her off the team?" Tarzan wondered.

"It wouldn't effect our friendship though!" Aladdin whined. He sighed again, took off his red beanie and ran a hand through his hair. "At first, I thought it was because I've started hanging out with Jasmine Aziz, but she would have just confronted me about that,"

Kida chuckled. "That she would,"

"But Merida has just been plain _ignoring_ me! She has even started hanging out with those jerks Rourke and Sinclair," he added angrily.

Kida was about to make a comment when she felt her blood and nerves freeze. She suddenly couldn't move or speak. She saw her crystal necklace rise out in front of her.

"Kida? What's wrong?" Tarzan asked.

But she couldn't hear him; her eyes were vacant and somehow all white.

Kida heard the crystal sing to her, whispering in old Atlantian, explaining to her what was happening.

The four other Gryffindors stopped and stared at the weird transformation happening to Kida.

'Wh-what's wrong with Kida?" Ariel asked fearfully. She clutched onto Eric, who looked equally as afraid.

"I-I don't know," Tarzan murmured.

A bright white light engulfed their friend, forcing them to cover their eyes.

After a moment, they dared to look again and saw something they had never seen before.

Kida - or, rather, something that _looked _like her - floated above the ground, emitting the same strange light. Her once dark skin was covered by the same material as her crystal.

Tarzan was the first to recover. He turned towards the other three.

"You three look for the teachers. I'll stay here with her until help comes." he ordered.

They nodded numbly, then started running in the direction of the village.

* * *

{Just before the Hospital Wing}

Belle, Adam, Milo and Jane sat at a large round table in the Three Broomsticks. Madam Meg came by and served them all butterbeer.

Jane was a bit surprised to see Adam join them, but she made an effort not to make a fuss about it. She valued her friendship with Belle more than her opinion of Adam, so Jane bit her tongue.

And she was glad she did. Adam turned out to be...pleasant. Although he didn't talk much, when he did, he made insightful comments and helpful suggestions as they browsed through the bookshop Tomes and Scrolls.

The one thing Jane was even more surprised about, however, was how (for lack of a better term) _in love_ Adam was with Belle. He sometimes followed her around like puppy, which was both endearing and a little strange, especially since Belle seemed oblivious to it.

Jane shook her head to rid of her musings and returned to the present, joining Milo and Adam in a debate.

Just as the debate was becoming heated and Belle was about to interject, the door to the tavern swung open with a loud _bang_. Ariel Finn stood at the threshold, searching for someone.

Ariel felt the feeling of déjà vu wash over her as she ran through the tavern over to wear Madam Meg was cleaning an empty table.

"Madam Meg! I'm so glad I found you!" she said.

Madam Meg looked up and gave the red-head a confused look. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked cautiously.

Ariel moved closer to the woman and lowered her voice. "Something..._bad_ happened to Kida Nedakh, not too far from the Shrieking Shack. Professor Lumiere told me to go get you and have you contact Professor Powers,"

"Shouldn't this be Iago and Jafar's problem?" Madam Meg asked heatedly.

"We can't find them!" Ariel reached for the older woman's hand. "Please, help." she pleaded.

Madam Meg sighed and nodded. "I'll be right back."

Ariel returned the nod and released her hand. Madam Meg walked away, leaving Ariel standing worried.

Adam, Jane, Belle and Milo watched the exchange in curious silence. Being the bolder one of the group, Jane decided that she would find out what was going on.

"Hey, Ariel!" Jane called out.

Ariel looked up and saw the group of Ravenclaws and (weirdly enough) a Slytherin sitting in a corner. Seeing that Milo Thatch was with them, she decided that she was probably the best person to tell him.

"Uh, h-hey guys..." she greeted awkwardly.

"What's going on? You look like you've seen a scary ghost," Jane said.

"Uh, um," Ariel stuttered. She turned towards Milo with sad eyes. "Milo...it's about...it's about Kida, she..._changed_ somehow..."

Milo shot up from his seat and flew to the door. The others stared after him in stunned silence.

"Wait...Tarzan was with Kida..." Jane realized. She shot up as well and grabbed the Gryffindor roughly by the shoulders. "Ariel, where's Tarzan?! Is he alright?"

"Y-yeah, he's fine. Maybe a little freaked out, but he's fine," she answered. "He's probably on his way back to the village by now. Eric and Aladdin were going to bring him just as I got here."

Jane released Ariel from her vice grip and ran out the door as well.

The same, stunned silence fell, but it fell on the entire tavern.

Ariel turned around and left without another word. Belle sat and stared at the door, unsure what to do.

Adam slowly stood up, reached for her hand and pulled her from her seat. He guided her to the door, and out into the village. He led her to the outskirts of Hosmeade, closer to Hogwarts.

Suddenly, he stopped and released her hand. Belle looked up in surprise and confusion.

"Go to Milo. I'll go check on Tarzan and Jane." Adam stated.

Tears glistened in her dark brown eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek.

"Thank you for understanding how much he needs me." she whispered.

Adam nodded and leaned down for a quick kiss. As soon as he pulled away, Belle jogged to the school. He watched her go until he could no longer see her, then walked back to Hogsmeade.


	20. Ripple Effect

_**A/N:**_ We're slowly but surely getting to the end of this story. Hard to believe I started this over a year ago (happy one year anniversary!). Any comments or suggestions you can give, I would greatly appreciate it. Enjoy!

* * *

Elsa sat at the foot of her bed in the girls' dormitory in Ravenclaw Tower. Her knees were pulled tight to her chest, with her chin resting on them. She stared at no spot in particular, her eyes wide and full of fear.

She had just heard from Belle that Kida Nedakh had...crystallized. There was no other way to put it. Kida was no longer Kida, not really anyways.

Elsa knew that Kida came from a very strong, very powerful bloodline. And Kida was one of the more talented witches in the school. For a brief moment, it was inconceivable that someone like her could change like that, even with her mysterious cultural background. Especially someone that she strongly considered her friend.

She could recall the first day they met, on the train to their shared first year at Hogwarts.

Elsa sat alone in a compartment, reading a book to avoid playing with her gloved fingers. She could remember being so nervous, not just about starting a new school, but because back then she barely had any control over her ice powers. Everything she touched turned to ice, no matter how hard she tried.

"Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show," she had muttered under her breath.

Outside of the compartment, she had heard a loud _crash _followed by angry voices arguing. There was stomping and what she was sure was the sound of someone getting punched. Suddenly, a tiny girl with white hair and dark skin in front of the door window, throwing her hands up in the air and was yelling quite loudly. Then, without warning, she threw the door open, still yelling in some unfamiliar tongue.

The girl turned her attention to Elsa, her eyes still burning but the rest of her was calm.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" she asked in an accented voice.

Elsa nodded numbly, mostly because she was rendered speechless by the audacity of this mysterious girl.

The girl had plopped herself directly in front of Elsa and stuck out her hand. Elsa looked between her and her hand.

"Kidagakash Nedakh. But you can call me Kida," the girl introduced herself.

With some hesitancy, Elsa took the proffered hand, giving her a quick and gentle shake.

"I'm Elsa Arendelle," she replied quietly.

"This is my first year at Hogwarts. And Britain, for that matter," Kida said.

"It's my first year, too," Elsa set her book down and played with her fingers. "Um, where are you from, originally?" she asked.

"Atlantis." she stated simply.

Elsa felt her eyes widen at bit more at the mention of the newly remerged magical nation. "Oh." was all she could mutter.

They fell silent. Elsa was about to return to her book when she saw Kida rush to her and start to pull off her gloves.

"Why do you have these ridiculous things on? It's not even cold out!" the other girl said.

Elsa struggled to keep the gloves on. "N-no, don't-" she stuttered.

The gloves slipped from her hand and wisps of ice and snow followed after. Kida's fingers had brushed against Elsa's, causing them to ice over.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" she apologized frantically.

"It's alright," Kida said nonchalantly.

She lifted her fingers to her neck, where a white-blue crystal sat. It glowed for a brief moment, and Kida's hands were back to normal.

Elsa had felt her eyes widen once more in surprise. Shaking her head, she grabbed her gloves and shoved them back on.

"Kida, _please _don't tell anyone about my ice powers," she pleaded.

The white haired girl tilted her head. "Why not?"

"Because...because...because they're dangerous. I can't control them,"

Kida was silent, thinking. After a moment, she nodded.

"Fine. But only if you promise me something in return," Kida said.

Elsa stared at her warily. "What is it?"

"Don't tell anyone about what my crystal can do." Kida stated firmly.

Elsa nodded. "Deal."

"Good. Now, tell me all about yourself."

The memory faded when Elsa heard a loud gasp. "E-Elsa?" she heard someone say.

Elsa looked up and saw that the dormitory was covered in ice. She looked down at her hands and saw they were tinted blue and shaking violently, tiny flurries floating around. She let out a sob.

_I'm losing control again. _she thought sadly. _W-what have I done?_

* * *

"Goldie! _Goldie!_" Flynn called out. He rounded a corner and saw the long, flowing golden locks of his young friend.

Her head was down, and she twisted and untwisted her hair. Her green eyes didn't hold the same curious, happy shine they usually had. Instead, they were dull and sad.

Flynn slowed his pace. He sat down next to her, barely a foot between them.

It was silent between them. He occasionally heard Rapunzel sniffle. Rubbing the back of his neck and letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he decided to break the quiet.

"What's going on, Rapunzel?" he asked, forgoing his nickname for her.

Rapunzel didn't answer. She turned her head away to hide the tears that she could no longer hold in. She couldn't tell him, he wouldn't _believe_ her if she told him. Although she has found acceptance in the wizarding world, there were still some things she knew even witches and wizards didn't understand, and therefore feared.

Just like Kida.

Rapunzel had heard rumors about the mysterious powers Atlantians possessed, but she didn't put much thought into it. If anything, she was a bit more selfish and worried about her own unique gift being kept under wraps. Especially after what her parents told her about what had almost happened when she was a baby.

Realizing that Flynn wasn't going to go away, she sighed and turned back to face him. He looked concerned, and that made it even harder for her to tell him the truth. But she knew she had to be brave.

"There's something I have to tell you. And no one else knows about it," she finally said. "Well, except for Professor Powers, but that lady knows literally _everything_,"

Flynn nodded in agreement, and for her to continue.

"If I tell you, you _have_ to promise not to freak out, okay?"

He nodded again. "Okay."

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and said very quickly: "I have magic glowing healing hair!"

Flynn lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "You have...magic hair?"

She nodded, but still kept her eyes closed.

"Even for you, that's a little crazy," he commented.

Rapunzel's eyes shot open and she turned to glare at him. "I'm not crazy! It's _true!_ I was almost kidnapped as a baby because of it!"

"C'mon, Goldie, the only thing magical about your hair is the fact that it's ridiculously long!"

"Why won't you believe me, Flynn?"

"Because it's _insane!_"

"_Why_ is it insane?!"

"Because...it's not possible,"

It was Rapunzel's turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "We're both Muggle-borns who happen to have magic, and have thus had to figure out what we have known since we were born _isn't_possible actually _is,_" she countered angrily. "And my having healing hair that glows is categorized, despite everything that has happened recently, _isn't _possible?"

Flynn opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He turned away from her to hide his frustration. He ran a hand through his hair a few times in an effort to calm himself down.

When that didn't work, he suddenly stood up and started to pace.

When _that _didn't work, Flynn, without warning or forethought, punched the stone wall closest to him. What had happened finally dawned on him, he cried out in pain and clutched his knuckles close to his chest.

Rapunzel stood up and slowly approached her upset friend. "H-here, let me see," she reached for his hand and wrapped a chunk of hair around his injured knuckles.

She closed her eyes once more and started to sing:

_"Flower, gleam and glow._

_Let your power shine._  
_Make the clock reverse,_  
_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_  
_Change the Fates' design._  
_Save what has been lost._  
_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine."_

Silence fell between them again. She removed her hair from his hand to reveal his knuckles, which looked as they did before he punched the wall.

Rapunzel opened one eye then another.

Flynn gaped at her, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.

She saw he was about to scream, but she stopped him beforehand.

"You promised not to freak out!" she reminded him.

"F-freak out?" he said in a high-pitched voice. "W-why would I freak out about one of my best friend's having magic glowing healing hair?"

Rapunzel placed her hands on her hips. She stuck out her right hip and stared at him in angry disbelief.

"Oh, so _now _you believe me," she chided him.

Flynn nodded. He stared at his hand again, hardly believing what had transpired. But, he knew Rapunzel was right; in their position, they had no right to judge what magic is and isn't capable of.

"So...so you were born with this?" he asked quietly.

Rapunzel nodded. "My mother became very sick when she was pregnant with me, and there was nothing the Muggle doctors could do to save her before I was born," she explained. "My father finally resorted to visiting this crazy, old witch doctor. Like an _actual _witch doctor. A doctor who is a witch...well, wizard, actually. Anyways, he gave him this very rare flower, and told him to brew it into a tea. He did it, Mother drank it, and she was completely better. Not long after, I was born. Even when I was _super _little, I had long, golden hair. My parents thought that was weird since they're both brunettes, but they were so happy that I was happy and healthy, they didn't really care."

"Uh-huh..." Flynn hummed. "You also said you were almost kidnapped as a baby?"

"Yeah...I guess this witch lady came into the dead of night when I was a year old, and tried to steal me away. But first she cut off a piece of my hair, which is what she was _really _after," Rapunzel moved the hair around her neck to reveal a short, brown tuft of hair. "When it's cut, it loses it's magic. So she decided to try and steal me. According to my parents, I woke up and started screaming. Thankfully, they came into the room in time to stop that old witch from taking me. She used the _expelliarmus _spell, but missed. She escaped. After that, my parents were...well, _very _over-protective of me, until I got my letter."

"What about the spell you just sang? Where did you learn that?" he wondered.

"Oh, the witch doctor came to visit when I was a year old and taught it to them. And me, apparently," she answered.

When she finished, she fell silent to allow Flynn to absorb everything. She contained a few giggles when she saw some of the expressions he was making. Rapunzel always liked that about Flynn, how he inadvertently wore his heart on his sleeve, but somehow always tricked people from seeing it by using his charm.

Without preamble, Rapunzel threw her arms around him. Flynn was surprised, but recognizing the familiar behavior, he returned the hug.

"Flynn, I'm really sorry for not telling you," she whispered.

Flynn smiled. "It's alright, Goldie."

"It's just...you heard about what happened to Kida Nedakh, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. What about her?"

"Well, I've realized she and I weren't as different as I thought we were," Rapunzel explained. "I mean, her whole 'human crystal' thing could easily happen to me...I could easily lose control of my own powers,"

Flynn rested a hand on her cheek, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I won't let that happen, okay?" he said.

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

* * *

Tarzan sat in a crouched position at the very top of the Clock Tower. It was the one place where he could escape from all the humans and their pettiness. Despite is roughly ten years back into "society", he still wasn't fully accustomed to human life in general. But he had Jane to help him, and that was enough. More than enough.

At least, it was in the beginning.

When he started Hogwarts, he was more aloof and kept primarily to himself. Everyone thought that he was - for whatever reason - extremely dangerous because he grew up in the jungles of Africa. The few who _did _get to know him (like Kida), learned he was a kind and gentle soul. But, he admitted, he has always had a strange affinity for all creatures. He could speak to them, and they always spoke back.

He could recall one spring day when he was a first year, Kida, Phillip, Lyle and Helga were sitting along the shores of the Black Lake. Tarzan was close by, sitting in a tree and idly watched the group.

Back then, everyone was friends with everyone else; Hogwarts was a new and exciting experience for the young witches and wizards. Except for Tarzan; he was the loner of the first year Gryffindors.

He remembered them just sitting there on the beach, talking and laughing until, out of nowhere, the resident giant squid jumped out of the water, crying out in pain, spraying water on the unsuspecting students Tarzan immediately leapt into action, jumping from the tree with incredible ease and ran to the water.

He approached the squid, yelling for it to calm down. But he wasn't heard over Kida's own loud demands towards the creature.

Realizing that wasn't helping, Tarzan decided to stop yelling and listened to the squid.

_"Those stupid little grindylows! Always getting themselves into places they don't belong! And now they've gone and bit me! ALL OF THEM! IT HURTS!" _cried the Giant Squid.

"Right now, you're even worse than the grindylows!" Tarzan called out. "You're attacking innocent humans!"

The squid stopped it's thrashing, a giant black eye focused inquisitively on the then tiny, dread-locked, and apparently young human.

"_How...how did you understand me?" _it asked.

"What do grindylows have to do with anything?" another, much louder voice asked.

Tarzan turned to the white-haired Kida, who had her arms crossed and was watching him carefully.

He looked between the squid and the girl, shrugging at both of them. "I've always had a way of communicating with animals," he responded quietly.

"_Ah...a Creature Tamer," _the squid said. _"I have heard of your kind. Very rare in the human world. Once in a dozen human generations, I am told. Though, I've never known a creature who has actually _met _one. An honor, indeed."_

"You can talk to animals?" Kida echoed.

She stalked towards him and grabbed him by the shoulder, staring him down intently. He stared right back, though not quite as harshly.

After a few long, awkward moments, Kida smiled and released him.

"I believe you. You must be a Creature Tamer," she stated sagely. "One of my father's adviser's is such a person. I'm so honored to finally meet another one!"

Tarzan shuffled his feet and looked a way, a faint tint of red coloring his cheeks.

"Hey, Kida! What's going on?" Lyle Rourke called out.

"Nothing!" she called back.

Kida gave Tarzan a quick, tight hug. "Come sit with us at lunch!" she said, running back to her friends.

Tarzan was unsure what to do, so he nodded.

_"I suppose I must return," _the giant squid said, swimming away and sinking into the cold, dark waters of the lake. _"As I said, it was an honor meeting you, Creature Tamer. I wish you luck."_

"Tarzan? Are you up here?" the comforting lilt of Jane's voice called, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Yes." he said in reply.

He hopped down from the ledge just as Jane turned a corner. She yelped and jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, I really wish you would stop doing that," she mumbled.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Jane waved her hand, dismissing the issue. Then she lifted it, her palm facing him. Smiling, Tarzan did the same until their fingertips touched. His hand was slightly bigger than hers, but he knew from the moment they met that they were perfectly matched.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

Tarzan didn't answer.

"That good, huh?" she commented. "Milo isn't doing that well, and I don't know how to help him," she added.

"I...don't think there is anything we _can _do, Jane," he said hesitantly.

Jane opened her mouth, ready to argue, until she dropped her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You're right," she muttered. "At least we have each other, though,"

Tarzan hummed in agreement.

They were quiet for a long time, simply holding each other. Suddenly, Jane jerked back, causing Tarzan to worry.

"Oh! Have you seen Adam?" Jane wondered.

"No, not since he came to get us from Hogsmeade yesterday. Why?" he replied.

"I just wanted to thank him, for helping us out. We really weren't all that together, and he really didn't have to stay with us, you know,"

"Ah. Maybe ask Belle?"

Jane shook her head, keeping her gaze to the ground. "No...it's really not that big of a deal."

Tarzan lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. His constantly intense brown eyes bore into her green-blue ones.

"Jane." he said simply.

Jane couldn't help but glare at him. She absolutely _hated_ when he reads her mind the way he does, how he knows every thought and emotion that goes through her. Even after all the years they knew each other, she was still always surprised (and hopelessly frustrated) by what she learns from and about him.

Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Yes, I'm still mad at her. I don't know why, but I am," she finally admitted.

"You need to talk to her about it,"

"Ugh...I know. I _did_ apologize to her, you know,"

"I know. But you two still avoided talking about it. You simply got mad at her, and when you realized that you might lose her friendship, you made a hasty amends. It's been two months. You need to talk to Belle about everything you're feeling. You _are_ best friends, after all,"

Jane couldn't help but laugh. "But _you're_ my best friend,"

Tarzan rested his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I know that. But you can have more than one best friend, and that person happens to be Belle. You can't lose her, not with everything that has happened," he said. "Plus, Milo needs the two of you. Right now, he has no one."

Jane felt her eyes water. She nodded again more fervently.

Tarzan was right. He was _always _right. But she wanted to be there for him, as well.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a hard kiss, trying to push everything she wants to tell him into the simple gesture.

She could only hope he understood, the way he always does.

* * *

Adam stood on the bridge, staring out at the Forbidden Forest. A part of him, the wolf part, wanted to run through those trees, to feel the wind at his back and the foliage beneath his feet. He wanted to feel free.

But, unfortunately, the moon wasn't full.

With that knowledge in mind, it still didn't alleviate the urge to run away from everything; something he has always done, ever since his parents died.

He tightened his grip on the railing, his knuckles turning white from the strain. A growl rumbled deep in his chest.

Adam recognized what was happening, and tried to calm himself down.

He thought about Tarzan and Jane. He had promised Belle that he would help them, but as soon as he reached them, he had no idea what to do. He didn't know what to say; all he could do was make sure they made it to Hogsmeade in relatively one piece. It didn't seem like _enough_, but he couldn't think of what else to do. _Especially_ since he knew that Jane didn't much care for him, and Tarzan was...well, whatever he thought he mostly kept it to himself, unlike his girlfriend.

Even after they came back from Christmas break, Jane never looked or talked to him. She was even stiff with Belle, her best friend. He knew it hurt Belle that Jane had a hard time accepting him as her...whatever she was to him. Regardless, he quickly realized he wouldn't have _any _of her friends' approval. Naturally, she had complete approval from his "friends".

And then there was Kida.

She had always been his adversary, ever since their second year when they both joined their respective Quidditch teams as keepers. They never truly _hated_ each other - they had a healthy respect and vague dislike, but nothing that a match couldn't solve.

Honestly, he couldn't imagine going against anyone else better when they flew. So it was hard to truly wrap his head around the floating crystal that has become Kida Nedakh.

The more he thought, the angrier he became.

In the distance, he heard someone calling his name. He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Belle running towards him. Her hair was falling from the loose ponytail, tiny tendrils covering her face.

"Adam! I'm so glad I found you!" she said when she finally reached him. She was out of breath, but smiling all the same. It wasn't her usual smile; it was a bit more strained. "Jane asked me where you disappeared to, and I told her I would go find out."

"Why?" Adam demanded.

The question clearly surprised Belle. Her eyes had widened slightly and her mouth dropped a little.

"Why what?" she asked hesitantly.

"Why would Jane want anything to _do _with me?" he clarified.

"She...she wanted to thank you for helping her and Tarzan -"

"I didn't _do _anything!" he yelled.

Belle was taken aback for a second, but she quickly schooled her features and glared right back at Adam.

"You checked up on them! You were _there_ for them!" she yelled right back.

"That isn't enough! I should have done _more!_ But I couldn't, I _can't -__"_

"Sometimes just standing there doing nothing is enough!"

"Well it wasn't enough for me! _Nothing_ is enough for me!"

Belle fell silent. She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes watering up.

"Does that mean...I'm not enough for you?" she wondered quietly.

It took Adam a moment for the weight of her question to sink in. When he finally realized it, he wasn't sure what to do or say. Which made him even angrier. So he lashed out defensively.

"Belle, that's not what I meant! You're just putting words in mouth!" he growled.

Belle shook her head. "No, I didn't, Adam. You're losing your temper and taking it out on me," she said. "If anything, I was trying to understand what _I _really am to _you._"

She took a step forward and lifted a hand to rest on his cheek. Adam grabbed her wrist and pushed it away.

Belle, realizing how angry he was, decided to turn around and walk away.

Adam also came to that realization, and followed after Belle.

"Belle, Belle wait -" he called out.

Belle stopped and turned around sharply. Tears streamed down her face. "Adam, I don't want to talk to you. Not while you're like this," she replied.

She turned around again and walked off the bridge back to the castle.

He was frozen in place, trying to work out what all had transpired. His head fell into his hands.


	21. Confrontations

_**A/N: **_I'm so sorry for taking so long with this! Life, naturally got in the way. If it helps, my beta (not to toot my own horn, but...), she said it was one of my better chapters. So that should hopefully ease the pain a little. I really hope you enjoy it regardless!

* * *

Anna paced back and forth in the Hufflepuff common room, gnawing on her bottom lip and wringing her braids. She couldn't stop thinking about Kida Nedakh, and Milo Thatch, and everyone in Gryffindor, and her sister-

Her poor, poor sister! She knew that Kida was a friend of Elsa's - one of a small handful - and the pain Elsa must have been feeling when she heard... Anna could barely wrap her head around it. She wondered if it was anything like when Elsa had accidentally frozen Peeves in the middle of Charms last year, and she, along with the whole school, found out about her ice powers. Elsa pushed her away then, just as she did yesterday when Anna went to see her.

Anna started to pace harder as she relived the memory.

She had managed to convince one of the first year Ravenclaws to let her into their common room. Anna had ignored the protests of the other, much older Ravenclaws – even going so far as punching one of said students and knocking over a small bookcase - and stormed straight up to the girls' dormitory, which she had gone to before many times when she'd tried to reconnect with her sister. Anna pushed open the door and saw that it was almost entirely covered in ice. Anna couldn't help but gasp rather loudly, her hand instantly going to her mouth. She saw her sister sitting at the foot of one of the beds, her knees tight against her chest and flurries swirling all around her.

"E-Elsa?" Anna had asked hesitantly.

Elsa had looked up at the sound of her voice. Her face was stained with tear streaks and she looked even paler than usual. When she glanced down at her hands, she looked absolutely horrified.

"Anna...Anna, please stop, you're making me sick..." Kristoff tried to stop her. "_ANNA!" _He finally exclaimed, stepping in front of her path.

Anna ran into him - the memory temporarily forgotten - nearly falling backwards until he caught her arm. She looked up at him, tears blurred her vision.

Kristoff had opened his mouth to say something, but instead closed it and his face softened. He awkwardly patted her head, musing her hair too much.

What Anna truly wanted was a hug, but Kristoff didn't give hugs unless they were initiated. But she didn't _want_ to embrace him first. She wanted him to just pull her into one of his unintentionally tight bear-hugs, and hope it would keep her together.

"Hey, it's okay. Elsa is going to be fine," he murmured reassuringly. "She might be made of ice, but she isn't fragile, you know."

Anna wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, wishing he was more sensitive about the situation. Kristoff could be so…_harsh_.

"That isn't a very nice thing to say." She commented.

"How is that not nice?" Kristoff wondered.

"Because Elsa _isn't_ made out of ice! She's a human being, like you and me!" Anna exclaimed. "She just happens to have ice powers."

Kristoff tilted his head, giving her a very confused look. "I know that, Anna."

"Then _why_ would you say something like that!" She started to yell.

"Because it's basically true!" He yelled back.

"But she isn't made out of ice!" Anna countered.

"That's _not_ what I said, and you know it! I just meant that she doesn't break easily." Kristoff said defensively.

"That _is_ what you said! You're making her out to be like she's some sort of…monster, or something!" Anna cried.

"Anna, I only meant that she has ice powers, and while ice might break, _she doesn't_."

"_You did not say that!" _

"You're not even listening to me!"

"Yes I am, you said –"

"Hey, Anna!" Tiana called out, interrupting Anna before she said anything she would regret. She walked towards them quickly, waving her hand.

Anna turned and forced a smile. "Hey, Tiana. What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like me to whip you up something special, especially after...you know...what happened yesterday." Tiana said, giving her a knowing, sympathetic look.

Anna nodded. "I'd like that," she said. She turned back to Kristoff. "Do you want to join us?" she asked him. Even if Kristoff _was_ absolutely clueless, she knew it wasn't his fault. Not _entirely_, in any event.

Kristoff shook his head fervently. "Nah, I'll see you later. I have a lot of homework I need to get through." He walked away, waving as he went.

"Oh...okay. See you later then." she said, trying to hide the disappointment she felt.

"Come on." Tiana urged gently, tugging on the other girl's arm.

Anna gave a weak smile and followed her out of the common room and into the kitchens. They were greeted by the house-elves, who quickly went back to work making dinner. Tiana led them to a table covered in flour and baking utensils.

"So, what would you like?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves.

"Um, how about those...oh, what are they called...ben-jays?" Anna replied.

Tiana laughed. "You mean _beignets_?" she clarified.

"Yeah! Those things." Anna smiled.

"Your wish is my command." she said, flourishing a wooden spoon and giving an over-exaggerated bow, making Anna giggle. Tiana smirked and, with a quick wave of her wand and a few muttered _"accio",_ she gathered all the necessary ingredients for the _beignets_.

Anna watched Tiana work in silence, trying very hard to focus on what her friend was doing. She didn't want to think about Elsa, or Kida, or anybody. It was too confusing, and too painful.

"Tiana! I thought I might find you here!" a thickly accented voice greeted.

Anna turned just as Tiana lifted her head in the direction of the newcomer. Or rather, newcomers. Anna couldn't help but blush at the sight of Hans as he sauntered over with Naveen Maldonia. She turned away quickly to hide her reaction to him.

_I am very quickly becoming the worst girlfriend ever. _She chastised herself.

"Naveen, what brings you down here?" Tiana asked with a genuine smile and a slight blush. Anna could barely contain her snickering at the sight of the highly immovable Tiana becoming mush about some guy.

"Like I said, I was looking for you. And Hans wanted to tag along." Naveen replied.

He walked around the table to stand directly behind Tiana, observing her baking. Tiana blushed even redder and began to chastise him, but he merely brushed it off with his own retorts.

Hans sat down next to Anna, quietly watching the exchange before them. He gave her a sideways glance, his once smirking face dropped into a frown.

"Anna? Is everything alright?" he asked.

Anna groaned and dropped her head into her crossed arms. For a brief moment, she was able to forget about everything. However, her heart was constantly on her sleeve, even when she didn't want it to. Anna couldn't help but immediately regret going with Tiana.

"That bad, huh?" Hans observed, "Do you want to talk about it?" he inquired.

With her head still down, she managed to shake it side to side, indicating a "no". Hans fell silent, leaving her figuratively alone.

Hans was angry at both himself and Anna. He should have made his move _significantly _sooner, but it was too late. Anna still didn't fully trust him – which was hard to believe, considering how trusting she actually was.

_Maybe she has stronger instincts than I originally thought…_

"It's about Kristoff." Anna finally said, lifting her head up enough to look him in the eye.

Hans turned back to her, looking a little surprised. He nodded for her to continue. She sat up more and started playing with the ends of her braids.

"He's just so _insensitive_," she sighed. "I know he was raised by Rock Trolls since he was three, and they're about as emotional as a, well, a rock. Although they do know how to throw a fun party."

"What did he do that was insensitive?" Hans asked.

"Oh, he just made a stupid, thoughtless comment. I think I might have taken it the wrong way initially, but Kristoff _really_ shouldn't've said it in the first place." She said, waving her hand in a vague gesture.

"Or maybe he said it just as you took it?" he suggested.

Anna gaped at him, "What…what do you mean?" she wondered hesitantly.

Hans lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe he didn't mean to say it _out loud_, but probably whatever he said was what he was actually thinking."

"No, no, I don't think so," Anna shook her head. "He might be a little slow when it comes to certain things, but he isn't that heartless _or_ that stupid to say what was on his mind."

"I don't know Kristoff well, but I _do_ know he's honest. Bluntly so, in fact."

Anna nibbled on her bottom lip as she considered Hans's comment. She turned away from him and returned to the same dejected position she was in earlier.

Hans tapped his chin, trying to refigure his plan. While he knew he made a few good points – he _was_ in the same year as Kristoff Iceman, after all – it wasn't going to immediately change her mind about her boyfriend. It certainly wasn't going to be easy to get her to fully trust him, especially since Anna wasn't her usual, bubbly self. He had no idea how to handle this aspect of her personality.

Suddenly, he remembered a _very_ important trait of hers: her distractedness.

He pulled his wand out from his inner jacket pocket, and, with a quick flick of his wrist and a mutter under his breath, conjured up bubbles. Anna looked up at the sound of his voice, and gasped audibly.

The bubbles circled around Anna, gently bouncing off her as they floated lazily about the kitchen. The bubbles changed colors and size, but kept their spherical shape. Anna giggled as a tiny pink bubble touched her nose. She lifted her hand and poked a large green one, and a blue one of equal size, causing them to float away.

Anna continued to look in awe until she heard Tiana give a counter-charm, and all the bubbles disappeared with a loud _pop_.

Anna turned to her friend, her mouth having dropped open in despair.

"Aww, Tiana!" Anna whined.

"No bubbles in my kitchen." Tiana said sternly, putting her wand back in her pocket.

"Technically, the kitchen isn't even _yours_." Naveen pointed out.

Tiana shot him a glare. Naveen lifted up his hands in defeat, but his eyes showed he wasn't going to completely relent.

Anna stuck her tongue out at Tiana before turning back to Hans. She placed her hand on his arm and smiled.

"Thanks for that, Hans." She said.

Hans reached over and lifted her hand off his arm, kissing the back of it. "It was my absolute pleasure, Anna." He smiled.

* * *

Merida stalked down the corridor towards the Gryffindor common room, muttering to herself. She had, once again, got into an argument with the other members of the Order of Black Water. They were, _once again_, being incredibly unreasonable.

Lyle, Helga, Hans, Merida and Gaston had gathered together in an empty classroom, meeting without Professors Jafar and Facilier at their bequest. The older of the group sat on top of desks, while Merida leaned against the wall.

"Why are we here? It smells like sawdust and death." Hans observed, brushing off some nonexistent dust.

_Ugh, what a snob._ Merida thought to herself.

"It was the only place that I could find that had no one, not even those nosy ghosts, in it." Lyle growled.

"I'm with South-Isles - it smells like an abandoned barn." Helga added, fanning the smell away in vain.

Lyle glared at her. Helga glared right back. Merida rolled her eyes.

_Children. I'm surrounded by children. My Devil's Spawn brothers behave better than this. _Merida snorted.

"Do _you_ have something to say, Dunbroch?" Gaston asked.

Merida turned to Gaston, shaking her head slightly. Gaston gave her a dubious look, but returned his attention back to the rest of the group.

"We should just off Nedakh now." Lyle said.

"But that would look highly suspicious. Her father is supposed to come get Kida next week," Helga reminded him.

"And nobody said we were supposed to kill her." Merida added.

They all had turned to her with sharp looks. Merida felt a little intimidated by everyone glaring at her, but she pulled back her shoulders and glared right back at them anyways.

Gaston rose from his seat and slowly approached her. He stopped barely a foot away from where she sat and loomed over her. Merida raised her head and narrowed her eyes.

"Just because Jafar and Facilier didn't _explicitly_ say so, it doesn't mean it wasn't _implicitly_ said." Gaston said in a low voice.

Merida, with her eyes still narrowed, stared at Gaston confusedly.

"Wait, what now?" she asked.

Gaston rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You heard me. If you can't stomach it, then you can leave."

Merida stood up suddenly, taking a step closer to Gaston in a vain attempt to stand nose to nose with him.

"I can stomach anything. But I'm not going to help assassinate someone who is in a magical comatose. It's not fair." Merida said. She sidestepped him and started to walk out of the door. Before she pulled the handle, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I thought the Dark Lady had more class, even for a homicidal maniac."

She slammed the door behind her before they could retort.

Merida was thinking so hard about how _insane_ they were, she barely fathomed knocking heads with someone. She staggered a few steps and covered her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.

"Ow…" she moaned.

When the pain subsided enough that she could open her eyes, she saw Aladdin was rubbing his head.

"Aladdin…I-I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Aladdin looked up at her, surprise and a brief flicker of happiness graced his features.

"It's alright, I guess." he mumbled.

Merida looked away from him, afraid to meet his gaze now. They stood in awkward silence, neither willing to talk or move first.

"Merida-" Aladdin started to say.

"I have to go." Merida interrupted.

She sidestepped him and started to walk away, when she felt him grab her wrist.

"Merida, wait!" he said desperately.

Merida closed her eyes and sighed. Hesitantly, she slowly turned to face Aladdin. He looked as desperate as he sounded. His eyes pleaded with her.

"What?" she said dejectedly, turning back to look at him. As they stared at each other, Merida felt a rush of memories crowd in her mind.

The day they first met; the moment they knew they were always going to be best friends; the day they joined the Quidditch team together; those few months back in their fourth year where they thought there was something more between them, but it turned out to be the most awkward time of their lives and reverted back to being close friends.

"I just- Merida, what happened over Christmas break? Why aren't we hanging out anymore?" he asked.

Merida felt her eyes water, but she shook her head to get rid of the tears. "You wouldn't understand."

"Then _make _me understand! Merida, I want to help, in any way I can. You're my best friend, and I miss you. I know your mom made you quit the Quidditch team. It sucks. But that can't be the only reason why you're avoiding me," Aladdin demanded, holding her hands tightly in his own, "Is it because of Jasmine?"

Merida shook her head once more. She was actually _happy_ for those two. "No, it's not her. I…I just…I can't tell you." She gently pried his fingers off of her wrist and slowly walked backwards. "I'm really sorry, Aladdin." She croaked.

She turned around and sprinted away, leaving Aladdin confused and in her proverbial dust.

She couldn't tell him. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much she missed her best friend, she just _couldn't_.

And nothing, not even quitting the Quidditch team, broke her heart more.

* * *

Lucinda Powers found herself staring out the window overlooking her students, much as she did before Christmas break. Unlike Christmas, where she felt as strong as ever, she instead felt the weight of the world land heavily on her shoulders. It was an unpleasant feeling, one she felt before many years ago, and had since worked to never feel that way again. It made her feel as old as she actually was.

_I guess my age is finally catching up to me._ She chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Professor Powers?" a soft voice asked.

Lucinda turned and saw the group of four students she called to her office. She attempted a reassuring smile as she ushered them into the room.

"Miss Arendelle, Miss Germaine, Mr. Burroughs and Mr. de la Bête." Lucinda greeted, nodding at them in turn.

"Why are we here?" Adam demanded, crossing his arms and staring at the Headmistress suspiciously. The others gave curt nods of agreement.

Lucinda chuckled again. "Cutting straight to the point as always, my dear Adam," she said. "I suppose we don't have time to waste. The reason you're all here is because of your…special talents."

The students looked at each other and her quizzically.

"The four of you have powers that most witches and wizards _don't_ have," Lucinda continued. "Now I won't disclose who has what; although I suppose we all know about Miss Arendelle, and subsequently, Miss Nedakh. I'll leave it up to the rest of you to determine whether you want to tell the others in this room or not."

Elsa blushed as everyone turned to look at her at the mention of her name and the incident her fourth year. Tarzan and Adam were there when it happened, while Rapunzel had only heard about it from some of the older students.

Lucinda cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Anyways, back to the reason why you're all here," she said. "As I said before, because of your individual talents, you all now have a very large target set on you."

"You mean…you mean the Sea Witch is…she wants…_us?_" Rapunzel stuttered.

Lucinda nodded gravely.

Rapunzel and Elsa gasped as Tarzan stared stony face in the distance and Adam started to pace.

"Now calm down, calm down," Lucinda urged them. "I happen to have a plan, if you'd like to know."

"What do you have in mind, Headmistress?" Adam asked.

Lucinda smiled. "I'm so glad you asked."


End file.
